The Kimbilio Chronicles
by RoseEatsChips
Summary: The story of Mohatu's exiled brother Wakati, whose generation affects the course of TLK canon history.
1. Wakati

Title: The Kimbilio Chronicles

Author: RoseEatsChips aka Taryn

Disclaimer: TLK canon characters © Disney; all original characters © me.

Rating: T for mature themes and moments of violence.

Summary: Mohatu's exiled brother Wakati starts up his own pride separate from the Pride Lands, paving the way for events that will affect canon characters from the Lion King universe.

Author's note: Sorry for the reupload, but I had edited the entire thing and didn't feel like putting in all the details one by one in each chapter. I will be uploading (hopefully) every one week or so, despite the fact that finals are around the corner. Enjoy!

* * *

Day quickly became night as ominous clouds loomed over the African savannah. The cold rain speckled the plains, barely penetrating the parched soil, eventually forming large pools of dusty water. Bolts of lightning struck the earth with tremendous force and set fire to ancient trees that had never felt a drop of water in months. Besides the fact that the world was on fire, it did not matter to Wakati; the adolescent lion was dead asleep from fatigue under the partial shade of a withering acacia tree. His head nestled in his front legs, he dreamed of his last moments at home.

Mohatu paced feverishly on Pride Rock, maintaining his gaze on the stone traveling beneath his feet with ever step. His younger brother Wakati emerged from the den, slightly cocking his head while watching his brother pace. Mohatu felt his brother's presence and stopped at the very tip of Pride Rock. Without glancing over his shoulder, Mohatu bent his head low. "Hello, Wakati."

"Brother," Wakati greeted back. He continued to stare at Mohatu quizzically, wondering if he just got out of an argument with their occasionally irate father, Jadi. "What's going on?"

"There's…there's something I have to tell you before Father does," Mohatu mumbled, still not facing his brother. Wakati's ears drooped and he hung his head, wondering what, or _if_, he had done anything to upset his father.

Mohatu inhaled deeply and quickly explained: "You have to leave the Pride Lands now."

Wakati at first expected Mohatu to spin around and shout, "Just kidding!" but when Mohatu started to walk away, Wakati panicked a little inside and scrambled to his brother's side.

"What? Why?" he asked frantically.

"Wakati," Mohatu began, now looking into his brother's confused eyes. _He's so young, fearful, inexperienced,_ thought Mohatu. A quick flashback of the discussion Mohatu had with his father brought him back to his goal and with tears in his eyes. Mohatu quickly turned away from Wakati to shake the tears from his eyes.

"It is of tradition," spoke Mohatu, clearing his throat, "that when a lion is old enough to live on his own, he must leave his pride."

Wakati tried staring into Mohatu's eyes, trying to find the truth as to why he was being exiled. It was one thing to have a lion live on his own at the coming of age, but this seemed out of reason. "Wait. No. No! I-I can't go!" he protested.

"He will want to stay. He will persist, plead to you. Do what is necessary to make him leave"Jadi had explained earlier. The aged king's eyes had pierced Mohatu then, removing all emotion except fear from his heart. But now he felt everything rush back as Wakati was pleading to him. Remembering his duty, Mohatu pushed past Wakati, forcing all feelings of love and sympathy from him.

"Father doesn't see you as a cub anymore," Mohatu said angrily, his frustration directed towards his father. Despite his age, Mohatu's deep voice resonated through Pride Rock. Now there was tension in the air, and Mohatu could feel every bit of it as he tried to calm himself down. _I must tell Wakati the truth,_ he thought. _It's the only way._

Mohatu turned to face his brother, almost shamefully, for he knew that the truth would strike an unforgivable blow, like a loving brother swiping his younger sibling in the face.

"Father sees you as a threat to his rule and to his predecessor's rule. We-we both know who is going to be the future king, Wakati."

A flash of shock passed through Wakati's eyes, then his brow furrowed. Mohatu had never seen Wakati so furious: his ears were drawn back; his claws protruded from his paws; his eye turned a darker shade of blue…

"I don't believe you," Wakati growled, quivering with anger. "You're getting rid of your own brother so…so you can have the kingdom all to yourself! I always knew Father favored you. I could always tell just by looking at the two of you alone. And with me, he ignores me, yells at me, hurts me—"

"Do you want to be killed!?" Mohatu roared, his furious face inches away from Wakati's. "Because it will come to that if you don't leave now!"

Wakati slowly opened his eyes, wet from the storm. Water was trickling down his muzzle and his body, washing away the tears that had been shed earlier. Wakati got to his feet and let out a loud yawn as he stretched his limbs. The storm had long been over, leaving miniature ponds scattered across the plain. Steam was rising from the scorched ground, setting an eerie atmosphere as Wakati looked around for a familiar landmark. He had never wandered far from Pride Rock, and now here he was lost in a continuously thickening smog with no sense of direction; all he had to do was get out of the Pride Lands. Slowly, Wakati wandered away from the acacia tree and noticed black smoke rising out of a deep ravine, which he recognized to be the gorge of the Pride Lands. The entire ravine had been set ablaze by the lightning storm, once covered in an abundance of ferns and stooping trees from ledges. Everywhere he turned his head he could smell the distinct odor of burnt wood and grass, but something else caught his attention: the smell of scorched and damp fur. Without hesitation, Wakati cautiously made his way down a rocky incline, taking care with each step as the temperature of the rocks grew hotter further down the gorge.


	2. Paka

Title: The Kimbilio Chronicles

Author: RoseEatsChips aka Taryn

Disclaimer: TLK canon characters © Disney; all original characters © me.

Rating: T for mature themes and moments of violence.

Summary: Mohatu's exiled brother Wakati starts up his own pride separate from the Pride Lands, paving the way for events that will affect canon characters from the Lion King universe.

Author's note: IIIIIIIIIIIII ain't got no boooooooody...and nobody cares for meeeeeeeeee!

* * *

Smoke and ash filled Wakati's lungs as he delved deeper towards the bottom of the ravine. Remnants of saplings and large tree trunks were scattered across the rocky descent. Tired from the swelling heat, Wakati rested on a ledge that overlooked the entire ravine. The fire had burned ever bit of green that had decorated the bottom of the gorge, which was now exposed with blackened stone. Wakati couldn't see much of the destruction from the fire around him; smoke engulfed the gorge entirely, thickening the silence in the air.

A small scuffle behind Wakati was as loud as an elephant trumpeting right in his ears in this silence, causing him to frantically spin around.

"H-hello?" he called out. "Who's there?"

Past the smoke, he could make out a small cave-like opening in between two large boulders. The scuffling had stopped, and now whimpering started trailing out through the opening.

"Are you hurt? Do you need help?" Wakati didn't think twice about what was inside; all fear he had felt vanished and was replaced with a rush of adrenaline to help the trapped animal. He peered inside the crevice, crouching low to the ground. A small figure slumped in the corner sat up with a jolt upon seeing Wakati's silhouette, and immediately crouched down, cowering.

"Hey, it's okay," Wakati crooned. "It'll be okay. I won't hurt you, I promise. Do you need help? Are you lost?"

"Where are m-my parents?" the lump of fur squeaked.

"Uh, err—" Wakati lifted his head and searched for any signs of movement; the smoke was beginning to clear, but there appeared to be no remains of anything or anyone. "Well, I don't really see anybody. What do they look like?"

"They look like you and me," the voice replied, and the speaker began to walk towards the opening, revealing her face in the partial light. The lion cub was covered in patches of soot and brittle weeds. Down her forehead, a faded brown streak reached to the end of her muzzle, visually splitting her face in half. Her eyes were the only feature that stood out in the smoky mist: her golden irises could be seen from miles away in smog because of their luminosity. Curiously, she looked up at Wakati, judging him bit by bit.

"_You're_ not from my pride," she huffed.

"Well, no," Wakati responded, taken aback by her abrupt comment.

"Where's my mom?" the cub demanded, now fully emerged from her shelter. She walked past Wakati, looking up and down the gorge.

"No one's here but you and me, kid," Wakati said.

"_Don't_ call me 'kid'," the cub sneered. "I _hate_ it when I'm called 'kid'. My name is Paka."

"Ok…well, Paka, we're the only one's here," Wakati said.

Paka sniffed, and Wakati looked down to see Paka silently crying. Her tears had now formed pathways through her mud-crusted cheeks.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." Wakati leaned down and put his paw around Paka. She resisted slightly, but she collapsed into Wakati's chest and sobbed. "We'll—I'll help you find your family," Wakati offered, gently patting Paka on the back.

"N-no you won't," Paka stuttered between sobs. "M-my pride's n-nomadic. Th-they always m-move."

"Oh…great…" Wakati muttered to himself. "If we were to try to find them, we can't stay here. There's no reason for us to stay, anyway," he told Paka. He pointed to the rocky path he had traveled down moments before. "We'll go back up the way I came and we'll figure out where to go from there, ok?."

He leaped on top of nearby boulders and swiftly made his way upward. Paka hesitated, placing her small paws on a boulder, questioning whether she should follow this stranger. He seemed so sure of everything, so kind, like that lion Mohatu who allowed her family to stay in the gorge, hidden from his territorial father. This young lion and Mohatu seemed to be very similar…

"You coming or not?" Wakati shouted from above. He had reached the very top in a matter of seconds. "It's not so hard."

"Hmph. Easy for you!" Paka shouted back. It took her a few minutes to clamber to the top, where Wakati was now lying down. Panting and exhausted, she set herself down next to him. "I didn't get your name," she wheezed.

"Oh, it's Wakati," he replied.

"Huh. Where are you from?" Paka asked.

"I'm—" A sudden realization hit Wakati hard. This wasn't just one of those days where he lazed around and headed back home in the evening. He had been exiled. He didn't have a home anymore. The word 'exile' itself left a gaping hole in his subconscious and quivered throughout his entire body.

"You okay? You look sick," Paka said, edging away from Wakati; his entire face had turned ghostly white.

"Uhm…I don't have a home…it doesn't matter where I'm from," he muttered.

"Oh. What, did you do something bad?" Wakati shot her a hurt look signifying the conversation was over. Paka held her gaze at the ground sympathetically. "I'm…sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault." An awkward silence hung in between the two, until Wakati got off of his haunches and began walking alongside the gorge.

"Where are you going?" Paka asked.

"We can't stay here. We better get a move on," Wakati said without looking back.

"Do you have any idea _where_ to go?" Paka asked. Wakati didn't respond; he continued on his way towards the setting sun. She rolled her eyes at his ignorance."Helloooooooooooo?" Still, the lion continued to walk. Reluctantly, Paka began to trail behind Wakati, and they continued until they reached the very end of the gorge, where there was a steep drop overlooking a web of thorn brushes before a vast desert.

"We should stay here until later tonight, then go through that desert," Wakati planned.

"Do you even know what's beyond that desert?" questioned Paka as she slumped down next to Wakati.

"No. Not really," he replied simply. "That's something for us to find out, I guess…"

"No way I'm going out there. You're gonna kill me by bringing me into that desert," Paka dramatized. "Besides, why can't we just stay here? On another note, why am I even following you?"

"Maybe because you have no other choice? And we can't stay because there's nothing for us here," Wakati answered.

"How did _you_ even get here? Are you a nomad as well? Or did some lion kick you out of his pride?"

Paka's question, though innocent, stung Wakati fiercely. He strayed a little on his paws and went to sit under the shade of jutting rocks. He rested his head on his paws, ignoring Paka as she continued throwing questions at him.

"Is that why? Why won't you answer me? Say something. Stop being a wuss and just answer my—"

"Will you stop?" Wakati yelled, sitting upright. Paka shrunk low into the ground, tears swelling in her eyes. Wakati winced at her pathetic behavior; despite her looks, she still behaved like a stubborn little cub. He heaved a sigh and attempted to reach out and touch Paka gently, but she edged away from his paw. "No, I…I'm sorry. Don't, please, don't cry. I didn't mean to."

Paka sniffled and wiped away her tears, fearfully glancing up at Wakati. "I don't like it when anyone yells at me," Paka murmured. "My dad, he…he yelled at me a lot."

"I know how you feel. Honestly, I do," Wakati said. He stuttered before forming his words, reluctantly wanting to explain his story to this cub. He had no other choice but to sympathize with her. He felt he would explode if he wasn't able to confide in someone about his situation. "The truth is I've been exiled because of my father. My brother told me that my father considered me a threat to my brother's rule over the Pride Lands—"

"_You're_royalty?" Paka whispered.

"Don't make a big deal over it…I'm not anymore," Wakati shrugged.

"Yea, but…but you're _royalty_. You are a _prince_," Paka continued. She gasped and her eyes widened. "Your brother was Mohatu, wasn't he?" she asked excitedly.

"Wait, how do you know--?"

"He allowed my family to hide in the gorge so that the king wouldn't try to drive us out. I _knew_ you looked familiar. Oh my—I'm talking to _royalty_!"

"Ugh…look, let's just get some rest before later tonight, okay?" Wakati said, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, uhm…should…should I say 'You're Majesty'? 'You're Royal Highness'?" Paka asked.

"No no no…don't, just forget it. I'm not royalty anymore, I told you," Wakati said, and he slumped back down in the hollow rocks, closing his eyes. Completely the opposite of what he wanted as a reaction from Paka. He needed sympathy, not his troubles thrown back at him to hit him in the face. He rolled over onto his side and let out a deep sigh to relax.

Paka remained outside the outcropping, looking around at the scenery and at the glowing red sun. She sensed her naivety had only antagonized Wakati by humiliating him. She couldn't help it, she got too excited. Unfortunately he was no longer a part of the royal line of the Pride Lands, a loss that she would never understand. All that she had lost was her family, who must be alive somewhere. The last she had seen of anyone from her family was during that horrible fire only hours ago; her father, despite his apathetic personality and harsh discipline, had gently placed Paka in the crevice in the gorge moments before the rocks let out underneath his feet. She was sure he was alive, since Wakati told her he saw nothing at all in the gorge. Now here she was, with a former prince, alone. Paka glanced back to where Wakati was resting, awkwardly shifting her paws. Nervously, she approached Wakati, slowly setting herself down next to him. He didn't budge or protest. Paka then sidled closer to him, and finally nestled against his exposed stomach, feeling at peace with some security.

Wakati opened an eye to see Paka snuggling up close against him; she was smiling as she rubbed her head against his belly. At first he grimaced at the fact that a lioness her age would become so comfortable with an older lion so easily, especially a stranger. As she began to purr, his heart lightened at the sound of her content and trust, and he slowly drifted into a comforted state of deep sleep, purring along as well.


	3. Gathii

Title: The Kimbilio Chronicles

Author: RoseEatsChips aka Taryn

Disclaimer: TLK canon characters © Disney; all original characters © me.

Rating: T for mature themes and moments of violence.

Summary: Mohatu's exiled brother Wakati starts up his own pride separate from the Pride Lands, paving the way for events that will affect canon characters from the Lion King universe.

Author's note: I hate transitioning from the present tense to past tense, and vice versa...

* * *

_Paka rolls around freely on the grassy plain, swinging her paws playfully at butterflies dancing above her. She giggles lightly as one of the delicate insects lands on her nose and spans its multi-patterned wings casually. The approach of a shadow appears over Paka, and the courageous butterfly flies away in fear as the figure moves closer. Paka rolls over onto her stomach to look up at the shadow's owner first in surprise, then in joy. The figure of a lioness is seen, however her silhouette glows with the radiance of the sun. She bends down and nuzzles Paka gently, and the two purr jovially._

_"Paka…" the lioness' voice whispered faintly. "It's time to get up, sweetie…"_

"Paka. Paka! For the last time, it's time to get up."

Paka fluttered her eyes open drowsily and found Wakati's face close to hers. "Huh?" she exhaled.

"We have to go," Wakati whispered. He nuzzled Paka one more time to encourage her, and walked to the edge of the cliff, scanning a path down towards the thorns. It was still night, but the faint glow of the sun was a sliver above the horizon, giving off a warm radiance of deep red against the navy night sky.

"What time is it?" Paka sleepily asked.

"Barely sunrise, apparently. We need to get a move on if we want to beat the midday heat. Better off that way than traveling during the day," Wakati responded. He began his descent, with Paka stumbling drowsily behind. They had just about reached the beginning of the vast desert (with some trivial difficulty passing through the thorns) when Paka mumbled incoherently: "Are we there yet?"

Wakati glanced over at her, not understanding what she had said. "Sorry, what?"

"I said 'are we there yet?'" she repeated.

Wakati chortled and stared at Paka with humorous surprise. "_What?_"

"Are you deaf or something?" she insulted.

"We barely started our journey," laughed Wakati. "We don't even know where we're gonna end up yet."

"But—" Paka glared at Wakati in frustration. "You don't know where we're going, how we're gonna get there…we could die!"

"Look. We've already started. We can't go back now. What's going to happen to us if we try to live our lives in the Pride Lands? We can't stay there," Wakati pointed out.

Paka jumped in front of Wakati, stopping him in his tracks. "Why can't we just travel beyond the Pride Lands in the _other_ direction? Hm?"

"What do you honestly think lies beyond all havens, of all _kingdoms_?" Wakati asked coolly. "Barren wastelands, deserts, treacherous territories. The world is not one green, luscious sphere, Paka. In order to find a home, a refuge, you must travel beyond the desert." Paka stared at him in awe, and couldn't help but smile feebly at Wakati's expressive explanation. "What?" he demanded rather harshly.

Paka cleared her throat, immediately offended. "Well, I guess that was my lecture for the day," she scoffed.

"Let's just get going before the sun rises," Wakati sighed.

The two traveled through the twilight over miles of sand dunes and dried, rocky hills. Wakati trudged ahead, hoping to get as much distance covered as possible before the first heat wave covered the desert. As the dawn quickly approached, he spotted a small oasis on the horizon, its green trees jutting up towards the sky beyond a hazy cloud. "Paka, there's shelter over there. Hurry," he panted.

Paka, dragging her paws, exhaustedly glanced up at him. "Whut?" she murmured.

"Come on," urged Wakati. "We need to reach the shade before the heat wave comes." Paka flopped into the sand, her limbs sprawled out underneath her. "What are you doing? Come on, Paka, we have to move," Wakati ordered.

"I'm…so sleepy…" Paka said, and dosed off immediately.

Wakati glanced over at the sun, now fully exposed above the horizon and lighting the dunes in shades of red and orange. He could see the heat beginning to dance over the sand, becoming more intense as the sun rose higher. He picked up Paka by the scruff of her neck and bounded over the sand dunes as fast as he could. The oasis looked as if it was escaping from Wakati's grasp, and for a moment he felt like giving up after a long time of trudging through the heavy sand. He stopped for a moment to regain his strength and check on Paka. Picking her up again after seeing she was peacefully asleep, he covered more distance and eventually reached a transition in the ground that turned from sand to rock. With the last bit of strength in him, Wakati sprinted to the oasis, no longer a distant haze.

Dusk had arrived when Paka woke. She spun her head around checking her surroundings and found a resting Wakati lying next to her. His mouth was open as he breathed, and his paw was resting on Paka's back. She smiled and carefully crawled out from Wakati's heavy arm, and headed towards the small pool of water in the bushes.

As she lapped up the cool water, she spotted a congregation of vultures circling in the scarlet sky. Looking outward at the desert, she saw a still reddish-brown lump in the darkening haze. Then her stomach rumbled with such furiosity that she hurried over to her protector.

"Wakati," she whispered, nudging his muzzle. "Wakati!"

Wakati jolted awake, his head spinning so fast that it looked like it was going to fall off. "Hm? What? What's wrong?"

"There's food out there! Look!" Paka told him excitedly. Wakati followed her gaze at the possible meal; it was now surrounded by vultures, which were only starting to pick at the body. Without a word, Paka leaped away from the oasis and towards the scavenging birds.

"Paka! Come back here!" Wakati called out. He ran after her, hoping that the vultures were content with their easy prey and not daring enough to go after a fresher, smaller morsel.

Paka jumped into the pile of buzzards, swatting at every one she could get to, baring her teeth and hissing her meager little roar. Wakati shortly joined, clawing at vultures that attempted to swoop down on Paka. He roared, not as powerful as a full-grown lion, but nonetheless it frightened away the buzzards once and for all. Paka pranced around the body, jumping up to reach any straggling vultures that were flying towards the setting sun.

"Good riddance to you all!" she meowed fiercely. Wakati laughed at her revived spirit, then solemnly looked down at the still body; its fur had been pulled away in small clumps, but otherwise it looked like it was in good condition.

"Let's eat," Paka said hungrily. She was held back suddenly by Wakati's outstretched paw.

"No."

"No?!"

"It's a lion, Paka." Wakati rolled the body over, revealing that it was indeed a young adolescent lion, just about the same age as Wakati. His rustic fur covered much of his body, with a beige muzzle, black nose, and a rather unkempt brown mane that grew sporadically from the sides of his cheeks to his belly and elbows. Wakati leaned down carefully towards the lion's nose, waiting to find any sign of life.

"He's breathing, but faintly," Wakati confirmed. "We have to get him some water, fast." Wakati slunked underneath the lion's body and lifted him up onto his back. Paka, feeling helpless, picked up the lion's tail in her mouth.

Reaching the pool, Wakati gently placed the stranger on the grass and guided his muzzle into the water. The lion softly inhaled and, choking from surprise, spat out the water and shook his head. He squinted up at an apologetic Wakati, then placed his head back down to the pool and gulped up large amounts of water gratefully. When he had finished, he stared curiously at Paka then at Wakati, each standing attentively on both sides of him.

"Who are you?" he asked them.

"I'm Wakati and this is Paka," the Pride Lander introduced.

"I'm Gathii," he flatly responded.

Paka leaned over to Gathii, nodding to Wakati. "He's _royalty_," she whispered.

"Paka," Wakati warned.

Paka inched away from Gathii, bashfully smiling up at Wakati. Gathii blankly stared at the two for a few seconds, then placed his head over his paws and fell asleep.

Wakati curled his lip and sat away from Gathii. "You're welcome," he muttered.

"He's probably exhausted. Leave him alone," argued Paka.

"He was able to say two things to us. He had the energy to at least say 'thank you'," Wakati grumbled, curling up underneath a nearby tree.

Paka stood in front of Wakati silently, shuffling her paws nervously. "Uhm…Wakati?"

"Hm?" he answered, his eyes still closed.

"Can I, uhm…can I sleep next to you again?"

He looked up at Paka, interested as to why she was acting so nervous. "Sure. Come here," he offered. Paka placed herself down next to his forearm, and Wakati wrapped it around Paka, holding her close to him. She snuggled into his side, then nuzzled his face.

"Goodnight, Wakati," she whispered.

"Sleep tight," he responded.

Wakati and Paka drifted off to sleep, unaware that Gathii's longing eyes glowed in the growing darkness at the two youths. A faint glitter of light reflected off of a tear that slowly dribbled down his cheek and into the shallow pool below.


	4. Uzuri

Title: The Kimbilio Chronicles

Author: RoseEatsChips aka Taryn

Disclaimer: TLK canon characters © Disney; all original characters © me.

Rating: T for mature themes and moments of violence.

Summary: Mohatu's exiled brother Wakati starts up his own pride separate from the Pride Lands, paving the way for events that will affect canon characters from the Lion King universe.

Author's note: Things get a bit interesting...Longest chapter yet, hope you like.

* * *

The moon shone brightly over the oasis, streaming blue light down on the sleeping lions. Wakati stirred awake, grunting as he lifted his head. He opened his eyes and found himself in a stare off with Gathii, who was sitting opposite the pool from Wakati. His red eyes glowing in the night caused the fur on Wakati's spine to frizz up. 

"What are you doing?" Wakati whispered, more fearfully than demanding.

"Looking at you two. You're such a cute couple," Gathii mocked.

Wakati checked on Paka, who was smiling in her sleep and holding on to Wakati's paw. He glared back up at a smirking Gathii. "What do you want?" Wakati growled.

"What do _I _want? You make me seem like I'm out to get you," retorted Gathii.

"I don't know if I can trust you, that's the problem. How long have you been sitting there?" Wakati snarled.

"It's not important. Well," Gathii sighed, "I'd best be on my way."

"To where?" Wakati started to get up, careful not to wake Paka.

"Why do _you_ care?" Gathii responded.

Taken aback, Wakati snorted a response. "I really don't. Go."

Gathii began to trot off, then hesitated and turned to face Wakati. "That cub said you were royalty. You sure don't act like it."

"How dare you." Wakati bared his teeth. "You should be careful of what you say."

"So prove yourself,_you're highness_," Gathii sneered. He turned himself around, his claws detracted. Wakati spanned his legs apart, readying himself for attack. The two rivals circled around each other, snarling and keeping a constant focus on one another. Gathii stopped and stood his ground, his eyes burning through the night. He let out a deep-throated roar, surprisingly mature for his age. Wakati, taken aback, regained his composure and unsuccessfully roared back; it sounded muted and weak like a cub's. Gathii laughed uproariously, letting down is guard to ridicule his immature enemy.

"What was _that_?" Gathii teased. "Is your mane growing a little too soon for your age?"

Wakati unexpectedly lunged at Gathii, who dodged out of the way baring his teeth.

"That all you can do?" Gathii antagonized. "Show me what you can do, _prince_."

Before Wakati and Gathii could make any other movements, Paka placed herself in between the two and screamed, "ENOUGH!" The males froze with wide eyes as Paka glared at each of them with her glowing amber eyes. "What are you guys, _cubs_? If anyone's acting mature here, it's definitely me."

"Don't think too highly of yourself, kid," Gathii grumbled.

Paka whipped around with ferocious eyes at Gathii. She emphasized her words with each step she took towards the rogue lion. "Don't. Call. Me. _Kid_. You're asking for trouble enough as it is, Gathii."

"Look, I didn't want any trouble to begin with. Your valiant Wakati here decided that honor was important to fight over—"

"You were disrespecting me and Paka, _that's_ what you were doing. We saved your life and you couldn't even give us a decent appreciation of thanks," interrupted Wakati.

"Well, I don't believe you deserved it anyway, what with your attitude and all," Gathii sneered.

"Why you—" Wakati began, but Paka proceeded towards Gathii casually.

"I believe," she started, "that there are some things _you_ are trying to fight for. Maybe your own honor, respect, and freedom, hm? That it?" Gathii stood in place silent, glaring down at the speculating cub. "Perhaps something in your past brought you to act this way towards any lion you came across…maybe a disappointed parent, friend, or an entire pride? I think so. I think that's your problem, Gathii. You were the outcast of your own family, so now you pick on whoever you can to prove yourself worthy. Well, that isn't going to work with us, and you know it. Face it. You're still on your own, and you're never gonna be better than anyone else." With that, Paka trotted back to Wakati's side. Gathii grimaced at them both, holding back his tears as Paka gazed into his eyes. "What's it gonna be?" she whispered. "Us or no one?"

Gathii clenched his teeth, staring hatefully at Paka. She was right. Somehow she got him spot on, and he couldn't deny it nor make up some other story; the truth hurt and it showed. "You're right. I was the outcast of my pride. Nobody gave me credit for anything," Gathii confessed, breaking a tear or two from his eyes. "I wasn't the ideal son my father wanted me to be, and the reason why I'm out here is because I left. There was no love for me back home, and I figured I'd die one way or another."

"I was exiled because I was considered a threat to my brother's rule," Wakati contributed. "Even though I'm much weaker than him, my father still casted me out. He had always loved my older brother more than me anyway. We both have something in common."

"And I'm just lost," chuckled Paka half-heartedly. "I don't know if I'll find my family again."

"It's best if we all stick together and make ourselves a new home and future," suggested Wakati.

Gathii nodded slowly, holding is gaze to the ground. "Then I guess I have no other choice than to join you both."

"Good. Well, since we're all up, I think it'd be best if we tried to continue going north until dawn. If there's one oasis out here, there's got to be more, so we shouldn't worry about shelter so much," Wakati said.

It seemed only a few short hours until the sky lightened in a sea of amber. Paka was lying atop Wakati's back and Gathii was lagging behind on the trail. Wakati lifted his head up and scanned the horizon for any sign of shelter or change in scenery.

"Is there anything out there?" Gathii asked from behind.

"I don't—wait, there is!" Wakati exclaimed. Paka jolted awake, falling off Wakati's back. "There are trees over there! No more desert!"

"What are we waiting for, then?" Gathii said with a sideways smile. He bounded towards the horizon as Wakati pushed Paka to her feet with his muzzle.

"Come on, we've made it!" he said pushing her forward.

Gathii reached the tip of the lush forest, wandering past all sorts of trees and plants. He came across a small opening where a large rocky formation held a deep cavern with jutting edges on the sides up to the top. Further along from the opening, he discovered an even greater expanse of open space; acres upon acres of savannah plains stretched out under the sun, and herds of antelope, zebra, and gazelle grazed peacefully unaware of the newcomers. Gathii couldn't believe the sight of the place, his jaw hanging open as he tried to take it all in at once. Behind him in the distance, he heard Wakati calling for him.

Back by the congregation of rock, Wakati climbed to the very top of the miniature mountain, which overlooked the entire expanse of the land. Gathii curled his lip at Wakati's dominance, unseen by the former prince who puffed out his chest and smiled at his new home.

"Look at this place," he whispered to himself. "This is all untouched."

Paka clambered next to him, gasping at the sight. "It's beautiful. We _have _to stay here."

"No doubt about it," he replied.

Gathii called up to them from the base of the mound. "What's it like up there?" His sarcastic tone went unnoticed by Wakati, who continued gazing out at the expanse of land.

"You can see_everything_!" Paka shouted back down.

"You hungry?" Wakati turned to Paka. She smiled widely and flicked her tail around in excitement. "Alright then, let's go," he said.

Wakati prowled through the high brush, camouflaged within the plains. Gathii was off to his side prepared to flank the prey from the side if necessary. The two had to convince Paka to stay hidden in the cavern, which was not at all to her liking. "But I gotta start hunting sometime!" she had complained, but it was not enough to convince the lions that she was ready. As Wakati neared an unsuspecting gazelle, he couldn't help but notice a faint roar off in the distance. It sounded desperate, annoyed, and…feminine? The cry was too much for Wakati as he inched his way towards his meal, the sound growing louder and louder. He looked over to Gathii and signaled that he was going to force the gazelle to his side of the field. Gathii acknowledged this and weaved his way swiftly through the grass. In a quick few paces, Wakati raced towards the gazelle and reached for it; as planned, it bounded right into Gathii, who immediately jumped from his hiding spot and triumphantly brought it down by the neck. Knowing that the meal was secure, Wakati rushed through the plains towards the distant roaring, hoping he wasn't too late in assisting the desperate female.

The scent of the lioness grew stronger, as well as the distinct odor of two other lions, much older and in heat. As Wakati reached the clearing, he saw the two lions: a golden lion who was extremely scruffy, thin, and had a scraggly black mane growing atop his head, and a beige lion who looked well built and had a healthy tan mane. They had trapped a remarkably attractive young lioness by a watering hole, blocking her from escaping on both sides. Although Wakati knew it wasn't his place to interfere with the affairs of older lions, especially those he didn't know, he recognized the situation as extremely unfair to the lioness.

"C'mon now, show us another pretty smile," the beige lion leered. The lioness snarled as she attempted to swat him across the face. The two lions kept her at bay, throwing insults and jeers while she frantically tried to fight back.

Wakati hesitantly came out of the tall grass and cleared his throat. The lions turned to look at him annoyed while the lioness cowered, fearing Wakati was going to join the game. The beige lion sized up Wakati and puffed out his chest. "She's for us and us only. Get lost, kid," he ordered.

"I'm not here to join you two. Let her go," Wakati demanded, his voice shaking slightly. "Or else there'll be trouble."

"Are you serious? You'll get trouble if you don't leave us alone," the golden lion threatened."

"Keep an eye on him," the beige lion ordered his cohort. The golden one glared at his friend and turned his back on Wakati, expecting him to leave. Taking this opportune moment, Wakati ran towards the golden lion and slashed his behind.

"Aaargh! Ushari!" he screamed, limping from the pain.

"That's what you get for letting your guard down, Tume," Ushari growled, facing Wakati. His green eyes darkened as he took a stance between Wakati and Tume. "You don't know what you got yourself into, cub."

"You don't know who you're dealing with," Wakati growled, baring his teeth.

The two circled slowly, staring intently into each others' eyes as Tume limped towards the lioness and kept her at bay. Ushari made the first move, lunging forward right at Wakati's face. Wakati ducked just in time, causing Ushari to roll over on his back. Wakati then rushed at Tume, catching him off guard, and slashed him right across his face. The emaciated lion screamed in pain and stumbled into the watering hole in attempts to escape from more attacks.

Wakati faced the lioness, who only stared at him in shock. "What are you waiting for? Run!" he shouted. The lioness jumped, startled, and ran past Wakati towards the plains. Wakati watched her escape until she was out of sight, and was suddenly brought down by Ushari from behind. Wakati rolled on the ground constantly, avoiding Ushari's slashing claws.

"I will rip you apart until there's nothing left of you!" Ushari furiously screamed. His eyes turned entirely black as his inner cannibalism surged within him. He lunged for Wakati's neck continuously, his rage intensifying with each second. He sensed Wakati's strength faltering, causing him to expose a sinister smile as his fangs advanced closer and closer to his enemy's neck.

Tume lingered behind, watching his ravenous brother unleash his fury. Tentatively, he inched towards Ushari to get his attention. "Ushari. You…you don't have to do this."

Ushari whipped around, his teeth clenched and glistening with blood. Tume backed away and saw the damage done to the young lion: Wakati's face was scratched, as were his muzzle and belly. Fortunately, Ushari never reached Wakati's neck.

"Don't bother me now, Tume," Ushari snarled deeply.

At the moment when Ushari turned back around, Wakati made one last effort of escape by slashing Ushari right across his eyes and knocking him into the water hole. Wakati clambered to his paws and took one last glance at the frightened Tume, who just stared at Wakati in disbelief and remorse. Ushari rolled around in the water, washing blood away from his eyes and shouting curses at Wakati.

"Run," was all that Tume could muster. He continued to stare at Wakati, then turned his gaze towards his insane brother rolling around in the shallow pool.

Wakati arrived limping towards the cavern later that evening, slightly sore and still bleeding from the fight earlier. Paka emerged from the cave with excitement, and upon noticing Wakati's injuries she rushed immediately to his side. Gathii came out of the cavern as well, licking his chops from his prized kill. He examined the situation, but did not proceed to help, seeing that Wakati's precious Paka was attending to his wounds. He returned into the cavern to finish off his meal.

"What happened to you? What did you do?" Paka whispered, her eyes wide with fear. She nuzzled up against Wakati's chin, making him wince with slight pain.

"I'm…Paka, stop that for a minute. I'm fine, I'm alright. I got in a small scuffle—"

"Small? _Small_? It looks like you were involved in a huge brawl! What did you do?" Paka exploded.

"Paka, I'm—Paka, will you just listen?" Wakati stammered, being interrupted by Paka's incoherent outbursts. "There were these two lions that had cornered a lioness, and they were harassing her. I had to do something."

Paka stood silent, surprised with Wakati's act of chivalry for another…_lioness_. "Was…I mean, did you know her?" she asked.

"Of course I didn't know her. We just got here, don't be ridiculous, Paka. It was something I knew I had to do. They were going to hurt her if I didn't do something," Wakati explained.

"So you sacrificed yourself for some lioness you didn't know?" Paka demanded.

"Why are you taking this so hard?"

"I am not—ugh, never mind…" Paka slowly retreated back to the cave.

Wakati sighed and gently descended himself to the ground. He had never seen Paka jealous before, although her reaction didn't come as a surprise to him. He knew she would say something about him rescuing another lioness; he can tell that she cares for him more than a friend, which comes to him as unfortunate news. Also, it wasn't like he invited that lioness back to the group anyhow. He covered his eyes with his paws trying to drown out images of Paka merging with the beautiful lioness. He couldn't help it. He _had_ to save that lioness. He was doing an act of charity, not chivalry.

A small tap on the shoulder caused Wakati to stand up abruptly, eliciting more pain from his sore muscles. The lioness was standing right in front of him, brilliant in the diminishing sunlight, but with a stern look on her face. Wakati gawked for a moment, then regained his composure as the lioness raised an eyebrow.

"Uhm, hi," he said.

"Listen, I just wanted to say thanks for what you did, but I was fine to begin with," the lioness forcefully addressed.

"Oh, uhm…well, it looked like you were putting up a good fight," Wakati teased.

"If you're going to flirt with me, I suggest that right now you shouldn't. I'm not in the mood, and I can easily take you down," she snapped.

Wakati grimaced at the thought. He paused, then merely bowed his head, keeping his eyes on the lioness. "You're welcome, then."

The lioness softened her expression by lifting her lips to a minute grin, then turned to head out to the plains. Wakati looked longingly after her, and decided that now was the time to ask.

"What's your name?"

The lioness grinned as she turned her head. "Uzuri." Wakati's spirits lightened as she spoke her name. "I'm sure I'll see you again." With that, she bounded off into the brush.

"Uzuri…" Wakati murmured, then collapsed on the ground once more as Uzuri's voice resonated inside his mind in tumbles and twirls. He would see her again. The feelings he had now were so overwhelming that he didn't think about his quarrel with Paka for the rest of the night.


	5. Tume

Title: The Kimbilio Chronicles

Author: RoseEatsChips aka Taryn

Disclaimer: TLK canon characters © Disney; all original characters © me.

Rating: T for mature themes and moments of violence.

Summary: Mohatu's exiled brother Wakati starts up his own pride separate from the Pride Lands, paving the way for events that will affect canon characters from the Lion King universe.

Author's note: So I hope you all appreciate how long it takes me to put all this down: I stayed up from 12-5:30 writing this chapter. I know, I have no life. It had to be done though. I wanted to postpone the posting of this, but new material needed to be put up. Expect a little longer than a week for my next update.

* * *

Wakati awoke the next day feeling vigorous and refreshed. He headed off to the plains briskly, his paws prancing light-heartedly upon the ground. He had high hopes of encountering Uzuri again, hopefully under much different circumstances than yesterday. After all, she did say she would see him again. 

From the cavern, Paka gazed longingly at Wakati, her romantic interest prancing away like a love-struck kitten thinking about some unknown lioness. Gathii lumbered up behind her, following her forlorn gaze.

"Not your kind of guy now, is he?" he murmured.

"That's none of your business," Paka spun around.

"It's unfortunate. All I have to say," Gathii softened his tone. He shared a stare-off with a frustrated Paka, and walked past her silently.

Paka watched Gathii as he slowly made his way down toward the grassy plains. He was unusually sympathetic today, much to the surprise of Paka. She remembered trying to sleep in the cavern with him last night; he grumbled and shifted in his sleep so many times, even muttering Paka's name once or twice. Whatever his deal was, it was not in Paka's interest. If he tried anything, she was sure Wakati would come to her rescue, she was absolutely sure of it.

Wakati stalked through the tall brush before coming upon the watering hole where he had rescued Uzuri the previous day. A few gazelle got their fill of water on the far end of the pool while staring at Wakati as a precaution. He lowered his head and lapped up the cold water, thinking of Uzuri with each gulp. He hoped to turn around and see her there standing behind him, just like the dream he had last night; her beauty showered over Wakati as he stared in awe, and she came over slowly and nuzzled under his immature mane. It was the best dream he has had in days since he was exiled.

He turned around after drinking only to find nothing but the grass leaning with the wind. Disappointed, he wandered out towards the forest on the other side to explore what more this haven had in store.

The day rushed by as Wakati surveyed the surrounding jungle. He discovered new animals lurking about, especially unfamiliar lizards and amphibians, which he snacked on every now and then as time went by. It was close to dusk when he began to retrace his footsteps back to the open plain, now that he had basically traveled in circles in the jungle. Crickets and other insects started their nightly song, and fireflies lit paths among the large trees. Wakati feared of being stuck in the jungle for the night particularly because he didn't know what nocturnal animals came out to play. He hurried along, following his scent past tree after tree, when a growl sounded behind him. He whipped around searching for the source of the noise, even more afraid than he was before. When nothing appeared or sounded again, he rushed away, still following his fainting trail. A short while later, another growl sounded close by. Wakati kept on, trying his best to ignore the unfamiliar sounds as they advanced closer and closer with each passing minute.

"Almost there," he reassured himself as he continued along through the jungle. "So close, you're almost out of here." A growl directly above him triggered enough fear to send Wakati sprinting towards the thinning trees. He darted out between two thick trees and out into the open. He spun around, catching only a quick glimpse of three pairs of glowing eyes in the high branches of the trees before they vanished in the darkness.

By the time he reached the cavern, Paka and Gathii had already feasted on a young gazelle, leaving behind only bits of cartilage and pieces of meat on bone. Wakati's stomach rumbled as he passed by the unpleasant remains; at this point, he was ready to eat anything that suggested itself as edible. He leaned towards the decomposing carcass and, being a picky eater, ignored his hunger and went back to the open plains.

Paka had just spotted him disappearing through the tall grass when she came out of the cavern. She hurried off to catch up with him, leaving behind a solemn Gathii. He had really enjoyed her company for the day, even if he didn't really say much to her.

"Do you remember your family?" Paka had asked earlier. "Do you still think about them?"

"Not as much," Gathii said with his mouth full of meat. He nudged the upper portion of the animal towards Paka, who gladly took her share. "I don't feel so bad being off on my own. It's what us males have to do anyway."

"Did they _ever_love you? I mean, your mother must've—"

"I didn't have a mother," Gathii interrupted her. "Well, I was raised by my father and my uncle. They were both hard on me, told me I had to be the best, that I had to lead my pride one day. But—"

Paka had stared at Gathii so sympathetically, so caring that it almost made Gathii cry. For once in his life he was telling his story to someone who actually listened and cared. He never expected to catch himself telling his life to some stranger, let alone a young lioness, but somehow innocent little Paka managed to open him up, and she gave him the support he needed.

"But…? But what?" Paka insisted.

Gathii smiled at her curiosity and shook his head bashfully. "But I was too scared. All that responsibility can scare even the bravest of lions. I wasn't ready to handle something as big as running a pride. I just wanted to be myself, not be put into a position like that."

"Psh, c'mon," Paka teased. "A tough guy like you? Yea right. Scared of ruling a pride. That's a load of—"

"Ssh! Someone's coming." It was at that time Wakati had come back to the cavern, finding only the lower half of the gazelle splayed out below. Gathii had seen Paka's face brighten as she left the cavern, leaving an empty feeling inside of Gathii. He couldn't possibly have feelings for Paka more than just mutual respect. More than that would prove he is softer than she thinks. He couldn't let her even consider that of him. Never in a lifetime. Still, he wished Wakati would just stay out in the fields forever and never come back to take her attention away from him.

Paka navigated her way through the grass, following Wakati's scent eagerly. Maybe he was going hunting on his own. That would be a feat to see, one lion versus a herd of antelope. Then again, she knew Gathii was able to do it before. Obviously this was a test of skill now in Paka's book; is Wakati capable of doing what Gathii so easily accomplished?

After a while his scent faded away and she became nervous of her surroundings; this was her first time being out in the plains alone. With night adding into the formula, she realized she could be in grave danger, and she had realized that too late. She was stuck in the middle of the dense field, not an opening in sight. She managed to find a rock and stepped up to look over the grass; she couldn't see a thing, even with her nocturnal vision. The plain was too vast, and the jungle spread on both sides of the field so she couldn't tell which side was which. She stayed on her little perch, curling herself up into a little ball as she tried to calm herself down. She couldn't call for help, for that could attract nearby predators, and she didn't want to wander any farther than she already had. The best thing she could think to do at the moment was wait until it was close to dawn.

A somewhat familiar scent drifted her way on the night breeze, and she perked up her ears to the sound of soft padding feet coming closer. It was a lion, most definitely, but much older than Wakati and Gathii. A thousand questions swam through Paka's mind as the lion came closer; she didn't know if she should run, trust the lion, hide, attack, call for help. Her thoughts came to an immediate stop when the lion poked his head out from the blades of grass. The golden lion Tume stood there, surprised to find Paka sitting alone on a rock in the middle of the field at night. His face had a scratch trailing down diagonally across both of his cheeks, but looked like it was healing just fine.

Paka's paws trembled, but the fur on her spine was spiked so much that the lion almost seemed intimidated. Another set of paws advanced loudly behind Tume, followed by a gruff voice.

"What did you find, Tume?" Ushari demanded, crashing through the grass. Paka shuddered at his scar; it stretched across his face above his muzzle, missing his fierce green eyes by only an inch. He too was surprised to find Paka, but his surprise turned to that of cruel contemplation. He creeped towards Paka slowly, enticing her with his huge paw.

"Come here, little one. We're not going to hurt you," he cooed.

"Ushari. What are you doing?" Tume whispered, still staring worriedly at Paka.

"Not now, brother," Ushari muttered through gritted teeth. "It's alright, we're nice lions," he faced Paka.

"Get away from me," Paka warned, growling lowly.

"What are you going to do? Attack us?" Ushari scoffed. "You're out here all alone, we can help you."  
"I got my friends to help me," she fired back.

"Ushari, I got a bad feeling about this—"

"She's just a cub! Take it easy, Tume," Ushari shouted.

Paka jumped off her rock and disappeared into the grass.

"Great, look what you did! Come on!" scolded Ushari. The two leapt after Paka into the brush. Paka scrambled ahead, darting this way and that way through the grass, hoping to divert her stalkers. Ushari and Tume followed close behind, easily picking up on her scent and advancing fast. It was only a matter of time before they would cut Paka off and do who-know's-what to her. She didn't even want to think about it. She couldn't think about it. Her mind was set on finding Wakati, and then there'd be hell to pay. She knew that these were the lions he fought against for that rogue lioness, so why couldn't he fight them again for her? He had to be in this lousy field somewhere…

Ushari leapt over her and stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Tume, cut her off!" he yelled. Paka turned around to find Tume reluctantly come up behind her, his face of utmost disgust.

"Ushari, she's too young," he argued.

"Then I get to have her all to myself," Ushari grinned. He walked towards Paka, who backed up against Tume's legs. She looked up at Tume in horror, while he turned his head away and closed his eyes shamefully.

Ushari reached out to grab Paka with his paw, but she swiped at him, meowing angrily. "Ooh. That tickled," he mocked. With one care-free sweep, he knocked Paka over, sending her skidding a couple feet across the ground. Ushari laughed monstrously, priding himself over dominating a lioness. She was all his, and he would finally have his fun tonight.

Paka once again looked pleadingly to Tume, who still kept his gaze away from the crime at hand. She summoned up the bravery she had left as she scrambled from Ushari's teasing paws.

"You gonna let him do this to me? You weak or something?" Ushari knocked her over, her face hitting the dirt. She spat out some pebbles and continued her rant. "You can't stand up for yourself, be a better lion than your stupid brother." Again, she was knocked down, only harder for insulting Ushari. "Ach—you're gonna sit there and watch as he_rapes_ me in front of you, and you're gonna do nothing. Ow!" Ushari had swiped her hard in the head, sending her sprawling into Tume's paws. He opened his eyes and looked straight into her condemning face. "Some kind of lion you are."

A hit of realization came to Tume as he watched Ushari drag Paka by her tail and flopped her over onto her stomach. He held her in place with one paw, her limbs scrambling out underneath her. All the bravery she had was now gone, her face of utmost panic. Ushari was about to mount her small body when Tume, biting his lip in fear, cried out, "Stop, Ushari!"

Ushari remained still, looking up at his weak brother in disbelief. "Shut up, Tume. Since when do I ever listen to you?" He positioned himself once more over a squirming Paka, but was caught by surprise as Tume knocked him onto his back.

"I said _stop_, Ushari. You're gonna listen to me now."

Ushari forced his brother off of him, snarling and baring his large fangs. He looked around for Paka and noticed the tuft of her tail vanish in the grass. "Damn it, Tume! I was so close!"

"That's as close as you're ever gonna get anymore," Tume spat.

"The hell I need you anymore. You're _weak_, Tume. The only way you could ever prove your worthiness is by throwing yourself off a cliff and saving me the trouble of dealing with you!" With that, Ushari leapt off after Paka.

Tume remained where he was, stunned and hurt. But what did his brother's words mean to him anyway? Only a tear shed from his eye before he pursued after his half-insane brother.

Paka cried as she blindly weaved through the grass. She had never felt so humiliated, afraid, weakened, and worthless in her entire life. She imagined Ushari taking her from behind by surprise, her worst fears coming to life. Her tears distorted her vision, and she did not notice a resting Uzuri until she rammed right into her.

"Ow! Ach, ach. What are you—?" Uzuri coughed, the wind knocked out of her, but when she saw Paka's fear-stricken face, she knew what was going on. "Come with me," she urged, and lead Paka through the brush. Ushari arrived to Uzuri's resting area a couple seconds later, and sniffed his surroundings. He smiled devilishly as he recognized Uzuri's scent and bounded after her and Paka.

Wakati had wandered around the field aimlessly for most of the night, surprising his would-be prey out of frustration; he was too tired from his trek that he lost all motivation to get himself a decent meal. He had scared off two young gazelles, one wooing the other, and immediately imagined himself bounding away with Uzuri into the night. Doubt had gripped him during his midnight stroll as he pondered why he couldn't seek out Uzuri during the day. Was she just a figment of his imagination? Were those two lions cornering prey instead of a beautiful lioness? He hoped his hunger had no part in his supposed delusions, since his last full meal was three days ago. All of his doubts disappeared when Uzuri jumped out right in front of him with Paka by her side.

"They're after us," Uzuri panted.

"Who's 'they'?" Wakati asked. He looked down at Paka, who was still crying from her horrifying experience. She rushed into his forearms, sobbing relentlessly.

Wakati looked up at Uzuri, slightly embarrassed. She showed an understanding smile, then remembered the situation at hand. "Those two lions you fought off yesterday. They're coming after me and—?"

"Paka," said Wakati. "Follow me," he stated flatly, and picked up Paka by the scruff of her neck.

The trio raced through the field back towards the cavern with Ushari's heavy footsteps padding close behind. Wakati lead Uzuri into the cavern, where Gathii was lazing on his side.

"Gathii, we've got trouble." Wakati gently placed Paka down in the back of the cave, giving her a gentle nuzzle before heading back to the entrance.

"What should I do?" Uzuri asked frantically.

"Stay here. Watch over Paka, will you?" Wakati said hurriedly. He motioned to Gathii to follow, who slowly got up on his paws and walked lazily over to Wakati.

Wakati stood on the outcropping of the cavern, listening to Ushari crashing through the bushes. "I'm gonna need your help—"

"Ain't that a surprise," Gathii retorted.

"Will you just shut up and listen?" Wakati yelled. "There's no time for your sarcasm. These two lions I fought yesterday…they could kill us both."

"How'd you manage to escape them yesterday?"

"Sheer luck. One is really big, he might be difficult to take down if he's this determined to follow Paka here. The other is all scraggly and I think he might have some kind of disease. He isn't much of a threat."

"So…what am I supposed to do again?" Gathii muttered. At that moment, Ushari came roaring out from the jungle brush, his teeth and green eyes gleaming menacingly in the night. At the sight of him, Gathii slowly began to back up into the cave.

Ushari recognized Wakati from afar and released a hysterical laugh. "Look who it is. The little hero from yesterday. Come to save another damsel in distress?"

"Better leave now, if you know what's good for you," Wakati threatened meagerly, his voice cracking at some parts. Gathii cowered behind Wakati, his eyes wide with fear as he stared at Ushari.

"Who's that little coward behind you? Come on, little cubbie, show your baby face!" Ushari sneered. Gathii remained frozen where he was, still hiding himself behind Wakati's shadow. Wakati realized Gathii wasn't going to be much of a help to him, and stood at the tip of the cave's ledge.

"It's just you and me now," Wakati fronted.

"Come show me what you got!" Ushari roared.

Wakati leapt off the outcropping and into the dark jungle. Ushari followed immediately after him, leaving Gathii alone in front of the cavern.

Wakati didn't know what he was doing. All he knew was to get this insane lion away from Uzuri and Paka. What has he done to Paka? He has never seen that look of fear spread across any lion's face before. The look in her eyes fueled Wakati's adrenaline as he took to the rocky hills that grew out of the jungle, leading Ushari farther away from the cavern. He could kill this lion now all for what he's done to Paka.

Wakati reached the very top of the hill, which ended with a giant opening containing large boulders resting in a circle. A split tree, struck down the middle and burnt from lightning, rested in the nook of two stone plateaus that were pressed next to each other. The entire spectacle overlooked all of the jungle, with a treacherous drop at every edge of the area. Wakati looked about in amazement at the sight, then realized his situation at hand; he remembered just in time to duck from a leaping Ushari.

Ushari landed on his feet perfectly and spun around, knocking his adversary square in the jaw. Wakati flew backwards, the wind knocked out of him as he tried to roll to his feet. Ushari grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and sent him flying into one of the boulders; apparently Ushari is much stronger than Wakati had imagined. He gasped for air as Ushari laughed uproariously.

"Look at you now. You only caught me at a bad time, right when I would let my guard down. But not now, no. Now I'm going to make you learn what it's like when you pick the wrong fights." Ushari took a few steps towards a gasping Wakati, but abruptly stopped. Standing atop the boulder behind Wakati was Gathii. His lips curled in hatred and his claws glimmered in the moonlight as he stared Ushari straight into his eyes.

"_You_," was all that Ushari could whisper. He stared at Gathii in disbelief, a mixture of hatred and fear swelling through his facial muscles.

"Yes, _me_," Gathii sneered back. "Didn't think I'd survive on my own, did you?"

"You surprise me time and time again, Gathii," Ushari growled. "Now it'll end here."

Gathii jumped from his boulder and clawed viciously at Ushari's face. The old lion was surprised by Gathii's agility and fierceness, but swatted the adolescent lion away like a pestering bug. Ushari pinned Gathii's upper limbs and placed his face extremely close to the young lions'.

"I never imagined you being more of a coward than this. You're defending _that_ lion over there? You can do better than that, Gathii," Ushari snarled, pointing out Wakati, who was still trying to catch his breath.

"I'm much more of a lion than you'll ever be in your entire lifetime. What you've done to me and everyone else is gonna end here!" Gathii spat out furiously.

"You don't even know what you're talking about," Ushari whispered menacingly, placing his face even closer to Gathii. "Everyone in my pride enjoyed me, even your mother. No one questioned my power. They respected me as a leader, and of course you had to stand up and make a fool out of me. NO ONE MAKES A FOOL OUT OF ME!" Ushari screamed hysterically, raising his paw and preparing to strike a fatal blow. Out of nowhere and just in time, Tume tackled his brother to the ground.

"This is over, brother!" Tume screamed, still holding a struggling Ushari down. "Your tyranny ends now!"

Ushari forces Tume off of him and spun around roaring, swinging his claws blindly in his rage. He spots Gathii helping Wakati to his feet and charges straight for the two. Gathii bares his teeth and steps in front of Wakati bravely, readying himself for attack. Before the two collide, Tume shoves Ushari to the side, and with one final blow, strikes him off the ledge of the mountainous hill. Ushari silently plundered to the very bottom, the only sound coming from tree branches breaking from his fall, and the sickening thud when his body ended its descent.

Gathii cautiously walks over next to Tume, who is looking down to where Ushari's body had disappeared. He closed his eyes, a single tear streaming down his face as he shuddered from fury and relief. Tume places a gentle paw next to Gathii and holds him in a small embrace.

"Glad to see that you're ok," Tume whispered.

"Of course I'm ok," Gathii sniffed. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"That's my nephew," Tume chuckled, playfully knocking Gathii in the jaw.

Wakati comes up next to Gathii and looks over the edge. "He was your father?"

"No, he wasn't," Gathii muttered emotionlessly.

Wakati stared at his friend in wonder, then glanced up at Tume. "Why did you follow him?"

"I felt like I had no other choice. He was the only family I had, and he was also capable of killing me. I regret everything that I've done in the past. I always have," Tume solemnly answered. He turned towards his nephew, smiling feebly. "I'm sorry for that, Gathii, and I know you understand that."

"I always knew, Uncle Tume," Gathii nodded.

Tume smiled feebly at his nephew's apology. "I can't stay here. I wish I could, but it's time I live my own life just as you will live your own. Goodbye, Gathii."

"Goodbye, uncle."

Tume gave off one more smile and began his journey away from his brother's grave. Gathii silently watched him go with a blank expression across his face, while Wakati, not understanding the two lions' relationship, watched Tume's departure into the night.

Wakati and Gathii reached the cavern by sunrise, not having exchanged a word since Tume had left. Gathii sat out on the outcropping, observing the sunrise beyond the jungle trees, while Wakati peered inside the cave. Paka laid curled up next to Uzuri, who had wrapped a comforting arm around the cub, sleeping peacefully. Wakati joined Gathii, sitting next to him almost awkwardly.

"So…uh…you ok?" was all Wakati could say.

Gathii continued looking off into the sunrise, his lips lifting into a faint grin. "Yea. I think so."


	6. Siri

Title: The Kimbilio Chronicles

Author: RoseEatsChips aka Taryn

Disclaimer: TLK canon characters © Disney; all original characters © me.

Rating: T for mature themes and moments of violence.

Summary: Mohatu's exiled brother Wakati starts up his own pride separate from the Pride Lands, paving the way for events that will affect canon characters from the Lion King universe.

Author's note: This took long to upload only because of, y'know, holiday cheer and all that good stuff. Hopefully I'll get to work on this story more now that I have a month off. Cheers!

* * *

An unfortunate surprise was in store for Paka the next morning: the lioness had slept over. Paka found herself under Uzuri's forearm, while Wakati slept on the other side of Uzuri, snuggled up to her close. The cub intentionally pushed Uzuri's arm roughly off of her, hoping to wake up the lioness. Instead, Uzuri remained in a deep sleep, which frustrated Paka even more. She huffed as she went outside the den to get away from her jealousy. 

Outside, she found Gathii just dragging in a small antelope for lunch. He noticed Paka looking down at him, dropped the antelope's leg from his mouth, and greeted her with a shy smile.

"Wanna come eat?" he politely inquired.

"Sure. What else am I gonna do?" Paka snapped. Her snide behavior did not even phase Gathii's pleasant mood as he brought the carcass closer to Paka.

She sat down and started ravenously tugging at her food, ignoring Gathii's laughter.

"Someone's hungry today," he chuckled.

"Someone's going to get beat up today," Paka fired back, food hanging out of her mouth. She couldn't understand why Gathii was so ridiculously happy when before he mused somberly over his misfortunes in life.

Gathii took her irritation lightly and joined in on eating lunch. When Paka had her fill, she let out a loud belch and curled up into a tight ball next to a pile of pale bones. Gathii finished off his scraps and, as a joke, burped as well.

Paka glanced over at him and stifled a laugh at his ridiculousness. "What is with you today?" she finally laughed.

Gathii positioned himself comfortably next to Paka and shrugged. "Seeing you were down about something, I figured if there was anything I could do to get a smile out of you, I would do it," he replied.

"You're not as bad as I thought," Paka thought out loud. She gasped and turned away embarrassed.

Gathii blushed at her compliment and turned his head away as well. "Well, um, thanks…The same could be said for you."

Awkward silence resumed: Paka fiddled with a small rib bone in front of her while Gathii rested uncomfortably next to Paka, gazing out into the jungle. A loud yawn from the den both startled the two; Wakati had just woken up with Uzuri by his side. Paka remembered her reason of annoyance, and proceeded back to her immature jealousy. Gathii immediately took note of Paka's change in behavior and took up his solemn personality once more.

"Good morning, everyone," Wakati cheerfully greeted the two. Uzuri remained at his side, greeting Gathii and Paka with placid smiles.

"Sorry. We already ate," Gathii murmured apologetically, hanging his head low.

"Ah, don't worry about it. Uzuri and I will go out to hunt," exchanged Wakati.

Paka stuttered incoherent words as Uzuri lead Wakati out to the plains. The cub's eyes darkened then filled with tears as they playfully disappeared behind the tall brush.

Gathii awkwardly stood behind her, unsure of what to do as Paka broke down into heavy sobs.

"Y-ya know what? I liked him. I really did," Paka cried, facing Gathii. "Now he's…he's acting as if I don't exist."

"Uuhhhhhhh…he saved you last night, Paka," Gathii consoled, rolling his eyes after realizing he had given Wakati more credit.

Paka eased her crying into little hiccups, wiping away her tears with her paw. Gathii remained where he was, unable to move or advance towards her. Now the truth was out from Paka. Gathii had known all along, but this confession was more than enough to know that her mind was unchangeable. All the times he had talked to her, made him feel appreciated and understood, she had been thinking of Wakati more.

"Yea…that's true…" Paka mused. She headed back to the den muttering to herself, leaving Gathii by the gazelle carcass.

* * *

Uzuri led the way, sneaking through the brush toward an unsuspecting gazelle grazing in the field. Wakati watched her as she showed off her prowess, the way she placed one paw in front of the other displayed such intricacy that Uzuri appeared to be walking on air. She was heavenly, not anything less than that. When she was resting next to him the previous night, it was purely sweet bliss. Her heartbeat pulsated against his body and soon pumped in rhythm with his, the slightest touch of her body heat warmed his soul, and how she smiled in her sleep was anything but a dream.

The patter of lightweight hooves shook Wakati from his reminiscing, and he saw Uzuri dart out after the fleeing gazelle, closing in fast onto the poor prey's hindquarters. It was only a matter of seconds before Uzuri leapt out and brought the meal to the ground. The love-struck lion approached Uzuri, her maw miraculously clean despite the fact that the gazelle's neck had been broken and torn in a bloody mess. She casually licked her paws and gave Wakati such a seductive look that struck his heart in two.

Uzuri giggled at Wakati, who was standing with his mouth agape from the hunt. "You want some?" she inquired.

"Uh, sure. I mean, you take first bite, it's yours."

"Suite yourself." Uzuri clamped away at a large piece and swallowed it effortlessly in seconds. Again, Wakati stood still with his jaw hanging. "What? Didn't expect that, did you?" Uzuri said, closing Wakati's mouth shut. "It's rude to gawk in front of a lady."

"Who cares about manners, huh?" Wakati teased. "I would never…never imagine a lioness as…" He swallowed his words back into his dry throat with obvious difficulty.

"A lioness as…what?" Uzuri implored, moving closer to Wakati.

"This can't be happening," the bashful lion whispered. "I was going to say, a lioness as—hey!"

Behind the young lovers, a dark leopard was dragging away the gazelle down to the jungle. The scavenger opened his mouth wide, picked up the carcass in one bite, and ran at full speed with the gazelle's legs swinging in the air towards a large tree. In three graceful steps, the leopard was out of sight with his meal in the leaves.

Wakati approached the base of the tree, preparing to climb. Uzuri ran in front and stopped his ascent.

"You don't want to do it. Forget it. It was just one gazelle. I can get another one," she offered hastily.

Wakati glared up at the hidden menace and retreated back to the fields with Uzuri once more. They were able to ambush another young gazelle and instead of eating it on the spot, they dragged their meal somewhat closer to the den. In a shady spot by a small pond, Wakati stubbornly kept watch as Uzuri ate her share.

"Are you sure you don't want some? You're being ridiculous right now," she said.

"Just let me keep watch, alright? I didn't know there were other carnivores around here," Wakati said gruffly, scanning the savannah.

"Oh, there are _lots_ of leopards here. I've probably encountered them all by now," Uzuri explained, taking another bite of the gazelle.

"If there are lots of them and four of us…" Wakati thought out loud.

"We won't have any trouble with them if we stay out of their way. That's how I kept the peace with them," Uzuri reassured him.

Wakati glanced over at Uzuri with sincere interest, almost bashful at the thought of asking and for not have asking it before. "Do you…do you have family. Like uh, like…a mate, or parents?"

"Parents…huh," the lioness huffed to herself. She stretched out her limbs and looked up at Wakati. "I did have parents, but then…heh, ironically the leopards got them. I don't know how, but one day, they just never returned from a hunt. The leopards also attempted to attack me after that, so I knew they had something to do with it. I was old enough to take care of myself by then. Not too long ago, actually. Seemed like years, though…" she drifted off.

"I'm sorry…" Wakati said, shifting from foot to foot.

"It's alright, don't be," Uzuri shook her head. "They don't bother me now, that's all that matters."

* * *

High in the tree, the leopard Siri feasted on his fresh meal. It was his first full meal in days, thanks to these rogue lions. He bit excitedly into the gazelle, already thinking how his mate and brother will be thrilled to know there were more lions, and young ones at that, in the area to catch their food. It would be easy to team up against the lions once a meal was caught and just steal it away from them; these young lions had little power against the swift and cunning leopards.

Once Siri had finished just about all of the gazelle, he dropped heavily from the tree and ran through the jungle to where his family was hiding. He pranced over to his wife, Ubazazi, who was a shade lighter than her mate. She was greeted by Siri with a passionate lick to her speckled brow.

"What did you find?" she asked anxiously.

"More lions. Young ones, too. Old enough to hunt effectively, but not strong enough for an ambush," Siri explained.

Siri's brother, Chui, struggled to his feet. Slightly younger than Siri, he had a large gash running down his front left leg, the result of a vicious fight between a strong beige lion over a small water buffalo; Chui was grateful enough to have his older brother engage in the fight and drive away the attackers. Now, his wound had become infected, despite its progressive healing, and his voice was croaked, his fur was tainted with dirt and falling out in small clumps, and his eyesight was failing.

"Did you bring any back for us?" Chui wheezed.

Siri stared blankly at his sick brother, then at Ubazazi, who scorned him with her yellow eyes.

"You brought back_nothing_?" she screamed in disbelief. "Are you turning your back on us, Siri?"

"It wasn't enough to feed all of us—"

"But enough to fill you up, huh?" Chui interrupted, coughing heavily afterwards.

"Look. I promise the next time I find a kill I'll bring it back to you both. It'll be easy," Siri told his family reassuringly. He rubbed up against a reluctant Ubazazi and stared into her eyes. "You're all I've got, and you need me as much as I need you. Why would I betray you two?"

"Just don't hog out on a full meal by yourself and leave us hungrier than before," Ubazazi growled, shoving Siri out of her way. She leaped up into a tree into solitude, leaving Chui grimacing at his older brother.

"I could be better by now. I could be as healthy as you. But you didn't aid me in any way to make me healthier. Now I'm dying because of you," he accused his brother.

Siri whipped around and snarled at his ill sibling. "The point you keep forgetting is that I _saved_ you from being mauled into pieces. Be grateful for that, Chui."

Siri looked out from the jungle to the open plains, seeing the two lions lazing in the shade of a tree, miles away. He sat patiently, waiting for them to move anywhere. He hated relying on others, but he had to. Even though it portrayed him as a weakling to his wife and brother, it was all he could do at the moment; he couldn't hunt to save his life, despite his ruthless nature. But these lions would prove extremely useful in the future, and thoughts of an alliance between the two species began to swim through his head as he kept staring at the teenage lion, with his reddish mane and ear tufts. Crazy, but it might save him and his family.

* * *

Wakati and Uzuri returned to the den that night, where Gathii was keeping watch on the ledge of the rock formation.

"You know, we need a name for this place. It wouldn't be a home without a name," Gathii said, almost as if to himself.

"How about…Kimbilio? That could be Kimbilio Rock," suggested Wakati.

"Kimbilio? Like, 'haven'?" Gathii chortled. "So far, this place has been but a haven."

"Oh, come on. Just last night was probably the worst it is ever gonna get around here," Wakati dismissed Gathii. He didn't notice Gathii's look of contempt after that statement; it was too soon for the topic to be discussed casually.

Uzuri noticed Gathii's glare and nudged Wakati hard. "Uhm, maybe things shouldn't be taken for granted just yet."

"What is with you two? This place is great, isn't it?" He motioned to the blue plains illuminated by the moon. "We have all this land to ourselves, all the food we need, this shelter here…we've been blessed."

"No, Wakati," Gathii murmured. "We haven't been blessed. My haunting past resurrected last night, and I am scarred by it all."

"My family died here," Uzuri added.

"We need time of grieving, not 'joyful bliss' as you have been acting lately," Gathii grumbled.

Wakati stared at his friends frustrated. With everything in the world, why couldn't they be _happy_? What about the time he's spent with his friends? What about last night, how he defended his friends and was there to console Gathii over his loss? Why did they have to be so _selfish_?

"You know what? Fine. I'll just go and enjoy my 'joyful bliss' without you two. Apparently you two need more attention and grieving time than I thought," Wakati scoffed. He turned away and went back out to the fields angrily.

Wakati wandered far from Kimbilio Rock, past the watering hole, the sleeping herds of herbivores, until he came upon a decadent spot in the middle of the vast plains. A large fallen tree, rotting from months of decay, was propped up by a large boulder in the middle of the spot. Wakati leaped on top of the tree and spread out, exhaling deeply.

In the dark, Siri creeped over to Wakati and spoke in a hiss-like whisper.

"Excuse me."

Wakati did not budge, nor did he respond.

"Excuse _me_," Siri tried again, a little more forceful.

Wakati spun around and snarled at the leopard. "What do you want?" he demanded.

Siri cowered in front of Wakati, apparently putting on a show, and bowed his head before the lion. "Please forgive me for having disturbed you. I have come to apologize for my behavior this afternoon, for stealing your meal. The truth is, I am rather desperate."  
Wakati rolled his eyes at the beggar. "Yea. Sure," he scoffed.

"No, wait. You see, I am very weak, and I have a family to provide for back in the jungle, who are starving. Please, I only ask that we may come to some agreement here. Maybe an alliance if—"

"An _alliance_?" Wakati interrupted furiously. "Two such animals of the savannah have _never_ formed an alliance. It has never been done before, and it never will be."

"Perhaps we could start a new foot by forming one now. Gain some benefit from this change, yes?" Siri hissed.

"How can I trust you?" Wakati asked lowly.

"You can be assured that the only meals you capture will be yours. You will assist me in hunting my own, in the slightest way possible, and therefore in return I will leave you and your…pride alone."

"What kind of 'bargain' is this? Are you threatening me if I don't?" Wakati snarled.

"I'm only saying if you don't help me, things might be difficult in the long run. Meaning you may not get as much food as you'd like," Siri flatly stated. "So what do you say?"

Wakati paused and examined the desperate leopard. He was thin, and did look like he was about to fall ill at any moment. Sympathy trickled through Wakati's thoughts as he continued to look over Siri.

"What is your name?" he finally asked after a while.

"Siri," the leopard responded.

"Siri, I am going to consort with my friends first, if you don't mind. By tomorrow, when the sun's at its highest point in the sky, I will meet you here and let you know. Deal?"

The leopard smiled, his large fangs glistening in the moonlight. "Deal," he said.


	7. Kimbilio

Title: The Kimbilio Chronicles

Author: RoseEatsChips aka Taryn

Disclaimer: TLK canon characters © Disney; all original characters © me.

Rating: T for mature themes and moments of violence.

Summary: Mohatu's exiled brother Wakati starts up his own pride separate from the Pride Lands, paving the way for events that will affect canon characters from the Lion King universe.

Author's note: Suspense! (Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuun) Hope it makes up for the time I've been away.

* * *

Gathii slumped over the edge of Kimbilio rock, his forearms swaying with the gentle nocturnal breeze. Uzuri quietly approached him from behind, slightly concerned and puzzled.

"You okay?" she asked.

Gathii barely lifted his head to answer. "Yea."

"Don't look like it." Uzuri rested herself next to him. "What's on your mind?"

"A lot of things."

"Like…?"

"Why do you care?"

Uzuri sighed and got up to leave. "If you're going to be immature, then I won't care. You don't have anyone else who cares for you anyway. I was just trying to help."

Gathii glanced over at Uzuri, who had stopped before heading back into the den. "Just a word of advice: you should make a move before you're misunderstood and lose your chance forever. We know what you're like, Gathii. Well, maybe not me just yet, but you should try to change how the others see you." Uzuri disappeared into the shadows of the cavern, leaving Gathii feeling lost, literally and emotionally hanging off of the edge.

"Damn it," he muttered to himself. He knew Uzuri was right. Funny how she fit right into the group of outcasts that they were; Uzuri had some sense in that beautiful bodice of hers, and it was all the wisdom that the small pride needed to keep them together.

He propped himself up and stared at the starry sky. He exhaled and continued muttering curses at himself for his stubbornness. At that moment, Paka came into view down in the opening before Kimbilio Rock, playfully swatting at a couple of fireflies dancing in the air. Gathii's ears perked up and a comfortable sensation passed over him as he listened to Paka's giggling. Climbing down from his perch, he brought himself over to where Paka was, and looked over her as she rolled over in the grass, staring at him in surprise. He bit his lower lip and exhaled deeply, and his eyes exhibited honesty and sincerity, a rarity seen only by Paka now.

"I really need to tell you something and I need you to listen," Gathii began, slightly trembling from nervousness. Paka continued to stare at Gathii with interest, causing him to breathe quickly. He shuffled his paws as he exchanged glances with the ground and Paka's eyes continuously.

"I know that you have a thing for Wakati, and I respect that. I mean, not a _thing_, I mean…I know you like him, but it doesn't…uhm…wait, lemme explain." Gathii shook his head, his scraggly mane flopping over his eyes. He took another deep breath and stared directly into Paka's eyes. "I like you, Paka. I really do. I know I don't show it as much, and I understand that you have feelings for Wakati. I know I can't do anything about it, but I just wanted to let you know that."

Paka stared at Gathii in disbelief and watched him run away into the tall grasses. She remained where she was, still staring in the last place where Gathii was, the fireflies dancing over her head.

Gathii ran as fast as he could away from Paka, over to the watering hole, and dunked his head into the water. He brought his head up and gasped for air, choking on small sobs as he laid himself down on the ground.

"Stupid stupid stupid…_Stupid_!" he cried. He really didn't know what to expect from Paka in the first place, but the look on her face was enough to send Gathii running like this. He didn't know whether it was fear, surprise, shock, or sympathy that was etched across Paka's face then, and he knew that her reaction wasn't something good. He knew how infatuated she was with Wakati, he _knew_ it. Why he couldn't just repress those feelings after Paka confessed to him was beyond his belief; he _had_ to tell her. Just in case. Now it seemed he had just embarrassed himself, and he had embarrassed himself even more for running away like a little cub. He was supposed to be the mighty Gathii, the image he had in his mind ever since he was young, the lion his mother said he would grow up to be. Not now, though. He was still pathetic, emotional, sensitive, lame old Gathii.

In the cavern, Uzuri perked her head up at the approach of faint footsteps. Paka moseyed into the den, silent and still shocked from Gathii's confession.

"There you are," Uzuri said. "I was wondering where you went today."

"Nowhere special," Paka mumbled. She set herself down in the far back of the cavern, curling up into a tight ball and tucking her head into her forearms.

Uzuri, taking up her role as caretaker, immediately noticed Paka's sadness. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"Don't talk to me," Paka said into her paws. She hid her face when Uzuri stood over her. "Leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you. I hate you."

"You hate me? Why?" Uzuri whispered. She wasn't the slightest bit surprised, but now was not the time to be offended; she wanted to make amends with this cub.

"Because you stole him from me," Paka responded. "You stole him from me and that's why I hate you."

"Listen, Paka, I'm sorry. I don't want to discourage you, or lie to you, but know this: he could have left me to die from those two lions. He saved me for a reason—"

"Shut up..."

"He cares about you as much as he cares about me, with one small exception—"

"I said shut up…" Paka warned.

"He loves you like a sister, and he…I know how he feels about me, and you know, too. Nothing's going to change that."

"You can just leave. Can't you just leave? I love him!" Paka blurted out furiously. She finally looked up at Uzuri, her eyes swelling with tears.

Uzuri looked down sympathetically at Paka, shrugging her shoulders. "I can't leave. I'm sorry."

Paka scrunched up her face at Uzuri and hid under her paws again, crying audibly. Uzuri remained standing over Paka, feeling quite helpless as the cub continued to cry over her emotional loss.

* * *

Wakati slowly made his way back to Kimbilio Rock, thinking about the conversation he had had with Siri only a few minutes earlier. He remembered how his father Jadi would scold at Wakati not to go near the leopards' territory, which had been established after a long and bloody conflict. The war against the leopards in the Pride Lands was so long ago that Wakati was too young to remember specific details. Jadi had lost many lionesses the first day of battle, and the leopards had suffered great losses as well. On the final day of the war, nothing had compared any of the casualties to that of Wakati's mother. She fought while defending Wakati and Mohatu back at Pride Rock; the leopards had caused a diversion, bringing the battle and Jadi far away from Pride Rock. Wakati only remembered seeing his mother fall in front of him, unmoving. Mohatu, only an adolescent, stepped in front of Wakati to defend him, but by that time, one of the lionesses had arrived and discovered the murder. It was after all of this that Jadi became so strict and reprimanding towards Wakati, understood now as a coping mechanism for Jadi.

The sun began to rise over the horizon as Wakati reached the base of Kimbilio Rock. He stood in front of it, looking up as the peak was touched by a ray of sunlight, and realized that he had no convincing way of proposing his plan to save Siri's family to his friends, especially after their little dispute earlier in the night. What's more was that Wakati's sympathy got himself stuck in a trap: if his friends were unwilling to listen or help, he would end up facing Siri alone, or risk the safety of his friends. Hopefully _someone_ in the group would support his cause.

Wakati reached the mouth of the cavern just as Paka was getting up. He smiled silently as she passed by without looking at him. She stretched her limbs out near the edge of Kimbilio Rock, ignoring Wakati's attempts to get her to pay attention to him.

"Hello? What's with you? You sleep okay? Did Gathii get on your bad side? Did…did any of you talk about me? Why won't you look at me? Are you siding with the other guys, too? This is just ridiculous."

"You know what's ridiculous?!" Paka spun around, her jaw quivering. "What's ridiculous is how a lioness does everything to get a lion's attention, but she doesn't get a response back, much less any acknowledgement or understanding from said lion, so said lioness feels like buffalo poo for days and days and _days_ while said lion goes skipping off into the fields with some other lioness he hardly knows! _That's_ what's so ridiculous!"

Wakati received a light slap across his muzzle from the infuriated cub, and he remained stunned as Paka bolted down the base of Kimbilio Rock. He shook his head and pursued after her, catching up almost immediately, and cornered the cub.

"Paka, I know how you had felt—"

"Huh. _Now _you admit it—"

"Will you shut up and just listen!?" Wakati took a deep breath and thought of his words carefully. "The truth is…you're too young. You don't understand what you're feeling just yet, and you might just be feeling something else instead of love."

"How can you be so sure of yourself? You're head over heels for Uzuri!" Paka shouted.

"And _you're_ head over heels for me, Paka, so don't go saying I'm a hypocrite, okay?" Wakati said through clenched teeth. "You might just be feeling gratitude or something like sibling affection, but it _can't_be love. I can't let you think that I feel the same way, because I don't. We're friends. That's all we ever were."

Paka's eyes widened and her brow scrunched down in fury. It was the truth she didn't want to hear; everything everyone had said to her was something she didn't want to hear. She wanted to live in her own world of hopes and love and innocence, not the hurtful truth. She wanted Wakati to be hers.

Wakati shook his head knowing that nothing else would get through to Paka at this point; she understood and would be blocking his voice of reason out from her ears. He turned around and headed back to the cavern for some rest.

As soon as Wakati was far from view, Paka darted away towards the fields. She didn't care at this point about any threats or how she was going to get food; she was leaving Kimbilio Rock for good. If she couldn't have her way there, she would find somewhere else where she had more control over her life. Nobody seemed to care about her. Uzuri was a conniving shrew who stole Paka's only love, Gathii was some angst-ridden teen who didn't know what he was talking about when he confessed his feelings for her, and Wakati was just a stupid, fat headed idiot for saying he didn't love Paka.

In the early morning sunlight, Paka reached the same decadent spot where Siri had approached Wakati. A lizard was sunning on the log, eventually becoming a small snack for Paka. She lazed under the shade of the decaying trunk, enjoying her meal, completely unaware of the watchful eyes peering from the jungle close by.

Wakati approached Uzuri, who was still resting inside the den, and gently nudged her with his muzzle. She stirred awake, glancing up at Wakati with sleepy eyes, and briefly smiled.

"Hey."

"Good morning, Uzuri," Wakati whispered. "Can I ask you something?"  
"Sure. What is it?"

"Last night, I didn't mean to offend you. I mean, I _hope_ I didn't offend you."  
"No, it's okay. You were a little hot-headed and defensive, which I understand. You shouldn't have to react that way; we were just stating our point of view."

"I know. The way Gathii reacted just set me off, that's all. Anyway, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for that, and ask if you were still mad at me for it."

Uzuri's ears pricked up. "Of course not. I don't necessarily get mad so easily. You should be careful of what you say and how you say it, y'know? Be mindful of others."

Wakati shook his paw dismissively. "I know, I know…"

"Don't say that. It just makes you look like a big know-it-all when you still have a lot to learn," Uzuri warned.

Wakati frowned, confused at Uzuri's change in tone. "What is with you?"

Uzuri merely shrugged, smiling slightly. "I'm just a mediator. I don't agree with everyone or everything, but I like to keep a neutral stance. Makes everyone happy. It's what I've learned from my family."

"Through…what? What was your family like?"

Uzuri sighed and rolled her eyes trying to remember her past. "Well…my father was such a hot-head and believed the sun revolved around him, and my mother was not so defensive but took every moment away from my father to complain to me about him. I agreed with both to the extent where they would not so much rely in my alliance of their views, but just to the point where they felt they had _some_ support. I feel like I'm doing that with all of you guys now. I know Paka has a thing for you, Gathii has a thing for Paka—"

"Great," Wakati mumbled. "Just what we need: drama."

"Comes with everything, Wakati," Uzuri laughed. "You just gotta know how to deal with it. Don't worry."

"Oh jeez," Wakati remembered. "I need to talk to all of you—well, maybe just you, about something concerning the leopards."

Uzuri's ears flattened and her face stiffened. She crouched down slightly as if Wakati had one behind him. "What about them?"

"They need our help. I talked to one last night, and he said his family is starving and sick. I told him I would come to se what you guys thought and report back to him by the time the sun was high in the sky today."

"Why would you make any deals with the leopards? Don't you remember what I told you?" Uzuri whispered fearfully. "They killed my family, Wakati, and I've avoided them for months. Now you want to bring them back to me?"

"I'm…sorry, but if we can help them, it might benefit us."

"_How_, Wakati?" Uzuri demanded.

"They will become our allies, help us when we're in trouble…I don't know, something like that," Wakati speculated on the spot.

Uzuri shook her head and began walking away from Wakati.

"Not you, too! C'mon, Uzuri. Give them a chance."

"Not after what they did to me…"

"They killed my mother, Uzuri. I know how you feel, but you can't hold grudges forever. 'You just gotta know how to deal with it.'"

"Huh. And I thought I was the wise one," Uzuri chuckled after a while.

"I learn quickly," Wakati smiled. "So do I have your approval?"

Uzuri hesitated, her face of worry. "I don't approve. It's something I don't want to be involved in. As much as you've told me, you haven't made any bargains with them, right?"

"No deals have been made except for the communication bit," Wakati reassured.

"Okay. I'm sorry, Wakati. It's something I'm not ready for," Uzuri apologized.

"I understand. I guess this is the only answer I'm gonna get since I don't know where Paka and Gathii had gone."

"Let them be. They need some time on their own."  
Wakati nodded and looked to the sky; it was close to noon, and it would take him a while to reach the deserted spot in the plains. Uzuri noticed his anxiousness as he gazed out towards the far-off jungle.

"Do you want me to go with you?"  
"Are you capable of doing that?" Wakati asked.

Uzuri shrugged. "I think it's a start for me. I'm not going to be playing mediator in this situation, but I'll support you."

Uzuri reached up and nuzzled under Wakati's chin, lightly purring.

Wakati paced himself so that he would arrive at the rotting log by the time it was noon, and so he arrived precisely on time. He scanned the empty area, wondering where Siri was at. Uzuri timidly followed close behind, checking behind her every now and then in case the whole thing was a trap.

"Siri! Where are you? It's me, Wakati!" the lion yelled. Only the sounds of locusts and tropical birds responded to his greeting, filling the air with lulling buzzes and chattering calls. A rustle in the jungle startled the two lions, growing slightly louder as it advanced towards the clearing. From behind the log, Siri leapt on top with a wide grin as Ubazazi came into view from the jungle with Paka dangling in her jaws. Ubazazi held Paka gingerly by the scruff of her neck, with the cub in a deep sleep. Before Wakati could shout to his friend, Siri gave him a cautioning look and held his paw up to his closed lips.

"Ssssh. We wouldn't want to wake her up from her dreamland, now would we?" Siri whispered sinisterly.

Uzuri took a step forward, but was stopped by Chui and an unknown leopard comrade.

"There's more of you?" Wakati growled. "You have a bigger family hiding in that jungle?"

"On the contrary, we're all here." More leopards descended from trees and from the thick savannah grasses, circling around Wakati and Uzuri.

"What are you doing!?" Wakati shouted. He gasped as he watched Paka wake up. She rubbed her eyes and, surprised with her lightweight sensation, she looked to the ground and up to see the leopards behind Wakati and Uzuri in fear, then glanced away in stubbornness.

"You just had to wake her up, didn't you?" Siri clucked his tongue. "Now things might get a little risky around here."

"As if it isn't already," Wakati said. "Why are you doing this? I trusted you."

"Trust is a hard thing to find, but when it comes, it's the sweetest thing to manipulate," Siri paced on top of the log. "You can even bend it to its knees and use it to your will."

"Why us?" Uzuri snarled.

"Knowing that you would populate one way or another, you were all eventually going to become a threat to my family. I decided to take things into my own paws and turn the tables a bit. Instead of the lions, 'kings of the jungle,' ruling over the savannahs, leopards will take control of the land they so rightfully deserve. I couldn't fully trust you to come back with the response I wanted. My aides have been spying on your pride members since we made the deal to meet again."

"Why you—" Wakati began, but was swiped down by Chui. Weak as he was, Chui still forced Wakati down to the ground pretty hard and knocking the air out of him.

Siri leapt off of the log and paced in front of Wakati, who was trying to recover from Chui's strike. Siri made eye contact with Wakati and smiled devilishly, his teeth glistening brightly in the noontime sun. "You ready to listen? Good."


	8. Mohatu

Title: The Kimbilio Chronicles

Author: RoseEatsChips aka Taryn

Disclaimer: TLK canon characters © Disney; all original characters © me.

Rating: T for mature themes and moments of violence.

Summary: Mohatu's exiled brother Wakati starts up his own pride separate from the Pride Lands, paving the way for events that will affect canon characters from the Lion King universe.

Author's note: Sorry that this took SO LONG to be written down (I've had this in my head the last half year or so), but school's been keeping me grounded. Hope you all have managed thus far to keep up with the storyline, and I'm glad to know that people are reading this. It gets a little bit rough in this chapter, but it shouldn't be too much violence to deal with (and all the violence/brutality doesn't reflect my personal views…just sets character dynamics). If there are holes or mess-ups in this chapter, please lemme know. Kthnxbye!

* * *

Gathii woke to the sound of many screeching cranes as they circled above the water hole, their forms silhouetting the high noon sun; they had been too afraid to land in the water since Gathii was spread out across the small shoreline. He grumbled as he parted through the grass and went back towards Kimbilio Rock. He was almost in a dream-like state, stumbling over rocks and twigs, as he remembered previous events: Wakati's ridiculous proposal to help leopards, Paka's disgusted look as Gathii confessed his adoration to her. For Gathii, those memories were a great start to his day.

He approached Kimbilio Rock tentatively, anticipating cold neglect from Paka or a fiery argument with Wakati. Instead, he found no one there; all that remained was the faint scent of Wakati and Uzuri, who had departed probably an hour earlier, but nothing else. He scavenged a small pile of bones at the base of Kimbilio Rock, hoping to get some form of nutrition before he set off hunting for live game.

The sound of an anguished roar caused his ears to prick up, and he looked around anxiously for the source. It must have been miles away, since it sounded muffled, but it definitely resembled a desperate cry. Gathii attempted to ignore the roaring as it continued on in the distance, growing more painful by the minute. After enduring a few minutes longer of the noise, Gathii finally got up and headed into the plains. Not only had the sound gotten on his nerves, but he had the urge to console the cry, like how a mother would fail to ignore the cries of her infant.

Gathii noticed a clearing up ahead, a bare entrance to the jungle behind it, and immediately stopped, smelling five – maybe six – leopards prowling the area. He crept quietly, taking extreme care with each step, and paused just close enough to see what was going on between the dry reeds. A husky, bodiless voice was heard, mocking an unknown victim: "Aw, come on. Is that the best you got? I'm diseased and I can still beat the living daylights out of you!" The sound of claw scratching flesh came afterwards, and the sickening thud of the body hitting dirt made Gathii nauseous; the brutality of the scuffle had an unpleasant effect to Gathii's ears. The sight of the victim rolled into view, and to Gathii's horror, it was Wakati. He was covered in scratches, non-fatal but numerous, and his mane was tangled with reeds and dust. His nemesis also came into view, an extremely sick looking leopard with graying fur, who lifted Wakati's face off the ground to meet his.

"You're not getting anything out of me, creep," Wakati whispered, and spat at the leopard's face. This resulted in another claw-filled blow to Wakati's snout.

"That's enough, Chui. We still need him to do our services," a deeper voice rang out. The carrier was pacing on top of a decadent log, next to a female leopard holding a somber Paka in her jaws.

"You're not getting service out of me, nor them," Wakati said weakly, mentioning Paka and Uzuri.

Siri sighed in annoyance, leapt down from the log and faced Wakati, who was motionless on the ground. "I'm losing my patience here, Wakati. We know there was another lion within your group. Tell us where he is, and we'll spare you and you're friends."

"Why do you want him?" Wakati asked furiously.

"That's for us to know, and for you not to find out…just yet," Siri said with a smirk.

"You're not going to take him, either."  
"Oh, but we'll see about that. I know that eventually you'll tell us since we have two who you consider most dear. You wouldn't want anything bad happen to them, would you?"

Ubazazi clenched her jaw hard enough to make Paka squeal in her grasp. Tears fell from her eyes as Ubazazi bit through the scruff of her neck.

"No!" Uzuri roared, and it was this roar that Gathii had followed from Kimbilio Rock. She was immediately smacked down by a leaner leopard keeping guard over her.

Gathii couldn't take anymore; he had to find help, somewhere, because it was certain that any foolish heroic attempt made by him would bring his friends to certain death. As quietly as he came, he fled back towards Kimbilio Rock. He looked up at the grand precipice as if looking for an answer.

"Think, Gathii. Think!" He grew more impatient and panicked as Uzuri's cries stretched out across the savannah, and the sun was lingering towards the horizon. Gathii shot down every idea that he conjured, from trying to set up a trap to taking down the leopards one by one. He just about gave up all hope of freeing his friends, and began thinking over memories of them as if preparing himself a eulogy. He remembered being rescued by Wakati and Paka in the desert, how Paka's maturity brought the two lions together (and how it sparked Gathii's admiration of her), and the stories they shared of one another. Paka said she lost her family, Wakati said that he was exiled by his brother…but he never said _where_ he came from. It was enough to motivate Gathii to venture out into the desert once more, in search for Wakati's former pride. Crazy, but it was all that Gathii thought he could do. He ran as fast as he had ever run before, despite lacking the energy to do so. Soon enough, the blistering heat subsided in the desert as the sun ventured beyond the horizon, making it all the more easier for Gathii to navigate the dunes. He passed by the memorable oasis where his friends brought him to safety; it hadn't been that far of a distance from Kimbilio Rock as he thought it was. The sight of the oasis, and the memories of Paka that succeeded it, further ignited his determination to continue onwards in search of help.

Midnight had approached, the moon high in the cloudless sky, sweeping the land with a bright and eerie glow. It highlighted a rocky landscape in front of Gathii, which he climbed over with grace from the luminous moon. Shortly after reaching the top, a vast gorge lay to the side of the landscape, and ahead a strange rock formation sat heavily out in the middle of grassy plains abundant with acacia trees. Gathii squinted at the rock, uncertain if he had seen it before; strange enough, it conjured memories of his own pride as they migrated from plain to plain. They might have passed through this land, but Gathii didn't have the time to begin thinking about the past.

He sprinted up to the silent stone precipice, then began feverishly pacing back and forth; he smelled lots of lions inhabiting this structure and was afraid to investigate the entirety of the rock.

"Hello?" he cried, startling himself with the sound of his own voice in the dead silence. No response of any sort. He called out again desperately, this time receiving a subtle yawn from inside the cavern at the top. Then a lion, in shades of brown with kind red eyes, quietly emerged from the cave.

"Who's there?" the lion demanded.

"I need help…my friends…in danger…jungle…leopards…help?" Gathii was intimidated by the presence of the lion, and fatigue had just begun to catch up with him.

"Wait there, I'm coming down," the lion announced. He gracefully leapt from the precipice down towards Gathii, and approached close, too close by some standards; the lion seemed to have abandoned all concepts of suspicion and danger as he circled Gathii.

"We need to be quiet; I don't want my father knowing some stranger is at his doorstep," he explained.

"Fair enough," Gathii whispered.

"Where do you come from?"

"I come from a jungle far across the desert. I came here looking for help because my friends have been taken by a family of leopards."

"How many of there are you?"

"There are three: two are of my age, and one cub."  
"And what do you want me to do about it?" the lion asked, almost apathetically.

"I was wondering if you could help me. I can't take these leopards out on my own, and I couldn't think of anywhere else to look for help."

The lion pondered for a moment, and sympathetically looked up at Gathii after a moment's thought, continually pacing around him.

"I'm sorry, but with this circumstance there is nothing I can do. My father would not let me rouse the pride to help a few youngsters like you. Where are the elders of your pride?"

"We don't have any elders. It's just me, Paka, Uzuri, and Wakati," Gathii said, trying to keep down his temper. The lion froze after the mentioning of names. He stood facing Gathii, his eyes wide with concern.

"What has become of Wakati?" he asked, looking as if to keep his composure.

Gathii winced. "He was getting beat up by the leopards. That was many hours ago, and he looked to be in bad shape. I came here as fast as I could."

"I'll rouse whoever I can. Wait here," the lion ordered, and he dashed back up into the cavern, leaving Gathii speechless over the lion's sudden change of heart. After the lion returned with a dozen lionesses in league, they and Gathii sprinted off back to Kimbilio Rock.

* * *

Siri lounged atop a tree branch in the dark jungle, picking at his teeth with a sharp bone. He looked down below, taking careful aim, and dropped it on top of Uzuri's head. She got up off her haunches and hissed at the indulgent leopard.

"Temper, temper," Siri leered. "You wouldn't want to get on my bad side with that behavior, would you?"

Uzuri glared hatefully at Siri. "No," she murmured, bowing her head slowly.

"No what?" Siri said, his voice growing.

"No, _your highness_."

Siri had kept the two lionesses in line through punishment if they didn't comply to his demands. He would use Paka's helplessness to force Uzuri to hunt for the leopards, and he would use Uzuri to make Wakati do the same. It was a vicious but successful cycle of manipulation, and the leopards were growing more in favor of Siri's leadership.

Ubazazi looked up to her mate, a fresh baby gazelle in between her paws. "Did you ever find out about that other lion?"

"No. It's been a while since I interrogated that little whelp Wakati. That's on my list of things to do for tonight," Siri mused.

"You won't get a word out of Wakati," Uzuri said defiantly.

Siri exhaled his signature sigh of aggravation, and leapt down to strike Uzuri. "You forget your place often, Uzuri. Is it about time for me to use full force on you?"

Uzuri kept her gaze to the ground, her lips quivering with frustration and immense hatred. She looked up to check on Paka, who was shivering in a small nook of a tree, guarded by Chui, who was slightly improving in strength.

"You have to give her something to eat," Uzuri begged Siri. "She'll die if you don't."

"And what use would I have for her? She looked too weak to be of any significance," Siri scoffed.

"She could be a valuable hunting member," Uzuri suggested, cringing at the thought. "You lose her, you lose a significant laborer."

Siri looked over at Paka, scowling at her pathetic state. "It's only been two days. I thought you lions could outlast long enough without food. Fine, I suppose. Ubazazi, give her your scraps when you're done."

Ubazazi nodded, and took her time gnawing the soft gazelle muscle. Wakati soon emerged through the jungle brush with two leopards on each side. He held another young gazelle by the neck and dropped it in front of Siri. The leopard leader looked down at the meal, and struck Wakati across the muzzle.

"You keep bringing me back small gazelles! Why don't you bring anything back that's more substantial? Not these pathetic contenders!"

Wakati panted as he struggled to get up on his paws. He hadn't eaten anything since his pride's capture, but he was in a worse state than his friends. Scabs and new scratches covered his body, and his fur was increasingly squalid after each hunt; the leopards guarding him punished him with each failed hunt.

"It was all I could find unguarded," Wakati replied hoarsely. "The prey can smell my weakness and guard themselves in groups."

"That's no excuse!" Siri swiped at Wakati again, slamming him into the ground. Realizing he knocked the lion unconscious, Siri faced Uzuri. "You've had your rest. Go hunt."

As Uzuri passed by Wakati, tears swelled in her eyes. She knew he was failing, and she felt helpless that she couldn't be there to help him; the leopards prevented them from any contact, even if they were being guarded. A scent from the dawn breeze caught Uzuri's attention, and she paused long enough to recognize the smell. A leopard pushed her from behind.

"Get moving, you," he growled.

Uzuri flashed his teeth at him, and continued through the brush to the plains. Hope elated within her, for she knew Gathii and many lionesses were on the way, and that they were not so far away. As she crept through the grass, she kept stalling to sniff out the direction where help was coming. The leopards were obviously preoccupied with keeping all attention on her, so Uzuri had then advantage of leading her captors towards the oncoming horde of lionesses. The scent grew increasingly stronger, and the leopards still had not detected anything suspicious. With a sudden leap, Uzuri darted out of sight from the leopards through the grassy field. The leopards sped up after her, soon gaining her from behind.

"She's trying to escape!" one yelled to the other. Before they could cut Uzuri off, four lionesses attacked the unsuspecting leopards from the side and took them out within seconds. The two leopards barely had time to react or even scream as they were brought down to the ground with deadly force.

Siri remained perched on his tree branch, surveying the jungle ahead of him and the unconscious Wakati at the base of the tree. He licked his maw, excited for his next meal; all the other leopards had been feasting on the mediocre prey that Uzuri and Wakati managed to catch, but it certainly wasn't enough to fill them up. Some scuffling in the brushes roused Siri from his daydreaming, and he searched for his two comrades and Uzuri. When the movement had ceased, Siri jumped onto the ground, sniffing the air. Ubazazi came up to his side, suspicious as well.

"Siri, what's going on?" she whispered. "I smell lions."

"Everyone into the trees!" Siri hissed. Without a moment's hesitation, the leopards slinked silently into the foliage, leaving Paka and Wakati unaware on the ground. Siri leaned over to Ubazazi and whispered, "If they're scavenging, they can have the cubs. Then we'll ambush them."

The leopards waited for a long amount of time, and yet nothing emerged from the jungle brush. Chui grew extremely impatient, and it showed; he quickly paced along his branch, looking down at Paka every so often. She was lying underneath the branch he was on, and a quick meal for his starving stomach.

"I can't take this any more. What are we waiting for anyway?" he grumbled, mostly to himself. He finally leapt down and stood over Paka with a hungry look in his eyes. Paka slowly turned her head and opened her eyes wide as Chui slowly opened his mouth. Before he could lunge, Gathii leapt out from the same tree and tackled Chui to the ground. To the leopards' surprise, lionesses dropped from neighboring trees, knocking them off their ledges and onto the ground, where a lion led half a dozen lionesses into an ambush.

The leopards were overwhelmed by the sudden mass of lionesses and frantically clawed for their lives. One by one, they were swiped down, broken from brute force. Some managed to briefly escape back into the trees, only to be brought down again by swift and attentive lionesses.

Gathii put up a fierce fight with Chui, the two tumbling all around the area and slashing at each other's faces. They ignored the onslaught between the lionesses and the leopards in the background, and focused on claiming Paka. Gathii stood over her, raising the fur on his back and extending his claws as far as they could reach. Chui, bleeding from the nose, paced slowly snickering the entire time.

"Trying to save your little girlfriend there, eh? Well it won't work, little guy." Chui faked fast maneuvers and managed to slash Gathii on the muzzle, sending blood from his nose all across the ground. Paka screamed and hid herself further in the tree nook as Gathii furiously fought back, attacking with such furiosity that it seemed impossible for a lion his age to contain. He clawed in a downward motion, smacking Chui over the eyes and ears and keeping him close to the ground. Chui started backing up blindly trying to get away from Gathii's unleashed fury, and repeatedly bumped into tree after tree. He was soon forced into a tangle of bushes and continued retreating from his relentless adversary. Gathii pushed the leopard out of the bushes and with one last upward swipe, smacked Chui backwards off a cliff that seemed to have materialized out of air, sending Chui falling into river rapids at the bottom of the deep ravine.

Looking over the edge, Gathii regained his composure and quickly returned to Paka. She had begun to weakly emerge from the tree, still shaking from weakness. Gathii's eyes softened and he took Paka up by the scruff of her neck. He trekked through the jungle, past the bodies of slain and broken leopards, out into the sunlight, where the others were waiting. Wakati was resting on the ground with Uzuri and the brown lion by his side. When Gathii emerged with Paka, Uzuri rushed over to him.

"Look at you! Are you alright? You're nose is bleeding. Oh, you got so cut up," she fussed.

"'M fine. Take Pah-ka," Gathii said, still holding on to Paka. Uzuri took Paka and placed her in the shade next to Wakati. Gathii turned to the lion and the lionesses and bowed gratefully. "How can I ever repay all of you for what you've done for me and my friends?"

"Nothing at all, in fact. Your bravery and persistence has reunited me with my brother," the lion said, smiling greatly.

"Huh?" Gathii spun around to face Wakati, who was also had a huge grin on his face.

"My brother Mohatu, future king of the Pride Lands," Wakati said gently.

"So what has become of this leopard family?" Gathii asked.

"The leader managed to escape, but he's badly wounded," Mohatu explained. "His mate might have darted away since I detected her scent trailing off into the jungle. Who knows whether they'll have enough power to retaliate."

"Let's hope they don't, now that they know you're with us," Wakati chimed in.

"Well, now I know where you live," Mohatu teased. "I should tell Dad the good news."

"For his sake, better keep this a secret. I know he wouldn't care the very least," replied Wakati.

"I'll come visit often."

"Don't wear out your welcome," joked Wakati.

"I most certainly won't. You take care now, Wakati," Mohatu said, nuzzling his head against his brother's. Turning to Gathii, he whispered in a low voice, "Keep an eye out on him for me?"

"Sure thing," Gathii grinned.

Mohatu and the lionesses exchanged last glances at the four youngsters and trotted off through the plains back to the Pride Lands.

* * *

Gathii sat on the edge of Kimbilio Rock that night staring at the stars. Wakati and Uzuri had both thanked him throughout the day for his bravery, but Paka had kept silent the entire day. She's most likely still recovering from the trama, was all that Gathii could conclude. He sighed deeply, relieved after the large adventure he had endured the last twenty-four hours. A feeble paw touched his back, and he slowly turned his head to see Paka standing behind him, her yellow eyes glowing against the moon's blueish-white. She had looked better from the terror beforehand, and had cleaned herself up, with the help of Uzuri's grooming.

"I wanted to thank you for what you did today," she calmly stated.

"You're welcome," Gathii returned.

Paka came up next to Gathii and sat down, looking up at the stars as well. For a while, the two didn't say anything, keeping their gaze fixed on the night sky. Very slowly, Paka reached out for Gathii's paw and leaned against him. She purred lightly, as did Gathii, as they shared a comforting moment of silence.


End file.
